Beautiful Disaster
by Claire-Grady143
Summary: Set right after Fallen Kingdom. Claire's POV. Very heavy references to The Evolution of Claire. You may be confused with some characters if you haven't read the book.
1. Chapter 1

_**Here's another story I've been thinking about! This takes place right after Fallen Kingdom. There are heavy references to the Evolution of Claire. You may be confused with some of the characters if you haven't read the book. Don't forget to read and review!**_

I felt the weight of his arm dropped over me. Holding me tight against him. My back warm against his chest. I smiled before opening my eyes. If this was a dream I didn't want to wake up. Owen was here with me, sleeping in my bed.  
As I continued to wake up, the events of the past two days came crashing back, reminding me I wasn't dreaming. Surviving yet another hybrid dinosaur attack with Owen.  
We found ourselves back together. Back together with an addition. Maisie slept in my spare bedroom. The poor girl literally going through hell and back in a twenty-four hour period. She may not legally belong to Owen and I, but we made a silent promise that she was ours to protect.  
So much Owen and I still needed to talk about, but we seemed to automatically know what they other was thinking. Convincing Owen my apartment was safest and close to the DPG, we drove the three hours from Lockwood's Estate last night, allowing the three of us to sleep in comfortable beds.  
What clothes and special items we were able to salvage from Maisie's room was thrown in a bag now sitting in the guest bedroom, now claimed as her own.  
I turned in Owen's arms to face him. His chest was bare and I slowly opened my eyes to see his still closed. Deep in sleep, he didn't notice me move. Resting my left palm on his chest I moved my hand until I could feel his steady heartbeat. Smiling as I leaned in to smell his skin I stifled a laugh. He smelt like me. The only shampoo and soap in my shower was mine, so Owen was forced to use it last night.  
My mind quickly went back to last night's shower. Him quickly apologizing when I screamed as soon as I opened my eyes from washing the shampoo out of my hair and saw him standing in front of me.  
 _"You scared me!" I hissed. Not even bothering to try and cover up. I didn't feel the need to._  
 _"You were taking too long, so I had to check on you."_  
 _I laughed and shook my head. "By completely getting in the shower?"_  
 _He shrugged and then nodded._  
 _"Maisie?"_  
 _"Out like a light." He assured me._  
 _His eyes peered into mine and I suddenly forgot how to breathe. He took a small step towards me, his arms raising cautiously. "This ok?"_  
 _"Yes," I sighed and threw my arms around his neck. I ignored the pain in my leg as I stretched up to reach his lips._  
 _As if reading my mind regarding my leg, he wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me up. I automatically wrapped my legs around his hips. Our lips stayed locked together._  
 _We made up for lost times while the water ran cold on us._  
Owen's words brought me out of my thoughts. "What are you laughing at?" His voice was scratchy, heavy with sleep.  
"You smell like me." I informed him, pressing my face into his chest and laughing.  
His arms tightened around me. "I'd rather smell like you than step in your shower and actually find mens toiletries in there."  
"You've got a point there." I giggled.  
I couldn't believe how utterly happy I felt. The moment Owen stepped into the shower with me last night, I felt new. I finally felt whole. Being apart let us grow a little, mature into who we are now. It allowed us to come back together with a feeling of completeness. I could see by Owen's smile he kept flashing at me on our ride home, his soft kisses to the back of my hand as he studied the road in front of him, his constant need to hold me through the night— he felt the same way I did.  
My phone rang on the nightstand beside Owen.  
"Reality calling," Owen mumbled into my hair. He rolled onto his back, keeping me against his side.  
"It's probably Franklin." I sighed pushing off Owen's chest.  
I leaned over him to grab my phone and his arms trapped me against him.  
"Hi, Franklin." I spoke into the phone.  
Owen's hand slipped under my shirt, letting the tips of his fingers slide up my back. I bit my lip to keep myself from moaning in Franklin's ear.  
I shot Owen a warning look. His chest vibrated from his laugh.  
"Phone started ringing off the hook half hour ago. There have been some sightings. No casualties, but I'm sure reporters will be looking for you soon."  
"I'll be there in an hour." I informed him, hanging up the phone.  
I dropped my phone at Owen's side and hid my face in his chest. "Time to face the world."  
"Guess so." He sighed heavily.  
I heard the main bathroom door shut and figured Maisie was awake. Owen heard too, and he was out of bed, pulling on his sweatpants. Luckily Owen was able to find the truck where he left his backpack before going to find Blue. Therefore he had a change of clothes.  
"Oh," I gasped, leaning out of my closet. Owen jumped, his hand half stretched towards the doorknob. I lowered my voice so it was a whisper. "I don't think I have kid friendly food."  
Owen snorted, opening the door. "I bet you don't even have anything that doesn't taste like cardboard." He laughed loudly to himself as he walked down the hall.  
I heard him talking to Maisie as I hurried to get ready.  
By the time I entered the kitchen Owen had thrown together ingredients for pancakes.  
"Hi!" Maisie said cheerfully. I was surprised to already see her dressed.  
"Good morning," I smiled back at her. She was perched on one of the stools at the counter. "How did you sleep?"  
She nodded. "Good."  
I raised my eyebrow, surprised at the fact that she actually looked happy. I met Owen's eyes and he shrugged, obviously thinking the same thing I was.  
"Pancakes are done." Owen announced, placing a large stack in the center of the counter.  
"Yum!" Maisie exclaimed before reaching for her fork to serve herself.  
My phone buzzed in my hand. It was Zia. "I'm coming in." I said before she could even say anything. "I'm on my way in too. Was just wondering how Maisie made out last night."  
I looked up at the girl who was very involved in her pancakes. "Great!" I answered not wanting to hint that I was talking about her.  
Maisie looked up when I hung up the phone. "Are we going to save them?"  
"We're going to do everything we can." I answered.  
Walking in to the DPG even felt different. Beside the fact that I was flanked by Owen and Maisie.  
My ride home from the estate was preparing the volunteers for what today would bring, so some were on the phone with reporters, others on their computers keeping track of new coverage and social media.  
The morning moved quickly. Owen was on the phone just as much as I was. It seemed now the Government was more than willing to help us capture and move these dinosaurs out of California. From my understanding of what I overheard Owen talking about on the phone, he was to head the military in capturing the dinosaurs.  
The press meeting was quick and actually helpful. We gained much needed support after Owen and I explained our help on the island was part of a scheme we didn't know anything about. Being that no one asked about a missing child our assumptions on Maisie were correct. No one in the world knows she exists. Therefore she stayed tucked away with Zia, out of the public's eye.  
By late morning I was ready to pull the group together for a quick meeting. Ready to bring them up to speed on how we were going to handle the capturing and replacement of the dinosaurs.  
I cleared my throat loudly, calling a quick meeting to the large group in front of me. Maisie, who spent most of the morning splitting her time between Franklin and Zia, looked up at me from her seat beside Zia. Owen sat at my desk knowing I was going to call on him to take over in a few moments.  
"Thank you all for everything that you have done." I paced in front of the room as I spoke. "I know we have worked hard from the beginning, and though our mission for Isla Nublar was a huge setback, we do still have a large group of dinosaurs that need us more than ever. Thankfully we have full cooperation from the government to capture and relocate these animals." I paused as the room erupted in applause and cheers. We were extremely lucky their first response wasn't to shoot and kill the dinosaurs. I continued after a few minutes of cheers and applause. "Owen here, will be leading the military in their mission to help capture and relocate." I motioned Owen to take the helm. He nodded and stood up to take my place. His voice deep as he spoke his mission.  
The elevator doors opened and I gasped. The blood rushed from my body, falling to my feet. The faces in front of me I haven't seen in years. Owen's voice was a muffle behind me as I ran to the small group that stepped off the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi! Glad everyone is enjoying my new story! I have a lot planned for this story, but before you read on please keep in mind that this is a STORY completely made up. I am not military, or a lawyer, or government involved, so I ask not to be judged on that factor. Just enjoy the story lol. Thanks for the reviews! They keep me going!**_

They were fellow interns from the Bright Minds Internship on Isla Nubar. Last I saw or heard from them we were nineteen and under much more stressful circumstances. I had cut myself off from them.  
My arms immediately wrapped around Ronnie, her strong arms wrapped around me tightly.  
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked. Moving to hug Art, then Amanda and my gaze fell on Wyatt.  
He raised his hands in surrender. "I come to help you. As a," I noticed his hesitation, "friend." He smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. I let him hug me, surprising myself as I hugged him back. I hated this guy, but I figured it was my excitement taking over seeing the others.  
"Hi?" Owen asked, confused, over my shoulder. Tapping Wyatt on his arm that was wrapped around my waist.  
I backed away from Wyatt and placed an arm reassuringly around Owen's waist, looping my fingers in one of his belt loops.  
"Owen, this is a small group of interns I worked with on Isla Nublar the summer before the park opened." I informed him. He looked down at me, raising an eyebrow.  
"Oh?" He questioned. That part of my past I didn't ever tell him about. Mainly because it was too hard to talk about. Losing Justin was something I swore I would never discuss. Therefore my internship was something Owen never knew about. He knew I was working under Mr. Masrani from the beginning, but he didn't know the before the beginning.  
"Who's this?" Amanda asked excitedly, holding her hand out to Owen.  
I smiled. "This is Owen, my—"  
"Fiance." Owen finished, shaking her hand, but looking at the two men in front of us.  
I choked on my breath.  
Amanda waved, "Hi! Amanda."  
Ronnie chuckled. "Military?" She asked, reaching her hand to take his.  
Owen nodded, straightening up. "Retired Seal."  
"Marines." She stated shaking his hand.  
Owen's eyes widened. "I could use your help."  
She nodded. "That's why I'm here." Her eyes swept over his chest and I caught the slight dilation in her pupils.  
They held hands longer than I was comfortable with and it was my turn to show my jealous side— though I would never admit it to Owen.  
I pulled their hands apart and pointed at the two men. "This is Art and Wyatt."  
Owen opened his mouth to speak to them, but I stepped in front of him, bouncing excitedly. "I can't believe you guys are here!" I felt the teenager inside of me bursting at the seams.  
"Well," Ronnie shrugged. "We have been following the events of Jurassic World three years ago and got into contact with each other shortly after hearing you were heading back to the island to rescue the dinosaurs."  
I looked down at my hands. "That didn't go as planned."  
"We know," Wyatt pointed out. I looked up and narrowed my eyes at him. He spoke quickly trying to not offend me. "This is why we decided you needed help. Help from those that were there with you from the beginning. When the news broke this morning about what happened and your interview about how you were played proved you needed us. Though we all know you of all people can conquer the whole damn world, you've done a lot and it's time you let others help you."  
I smiled at him for what I believe to be the very first time ever. "I appreciate that."  
He nodded.  
They quickly fell into step with the rest of the DPG volunteers.  
I avoided Owen's confused gaze every time I spoke to one of my fellow interns just as much as he was avoiding me going after him for saying we were engaged.  
"Who are they?" Maisie asked me when I walked by Zia's desk.  
"My freshmen year of college I did an internship on Isla Nublar with them. They were close friends during our time there." I informed her.  
"Were one of them your boyfriend?" She asked, hesitating a little.  
I narrowed my eyes, knowing she wouldn't just come out and ask that on her own. As if on cue her eyes flickered over to Owen, sitting back at my desk, looking a little too intently at Maisie.  
She met my eyes again and shrugged.  
I couldn't help but laugh. Leaning down so my eyes were level with hers I spoke low so only she could hear me. "Tell Owen if he wants to know to just ask me."  
She giggled and I winked at her, standing back up and walked away.  
"Owen!" She called out behind me.  
I threw my head back laughing. Busted.  
"Claire!" Ronnie grabbed my shoulders, making me face her and Amanda. "We need to go out! All of us! For old times sake."  
I looked from her to Amanda.  
"Come on, it'll be fun. Bring your hunky hubby."  
I held up a finger in protest. "He's not my husband—"  
Ronnie interrupted me. "Fiance, boyfriend, hottie bootie call; whoever he is. He needs to come, too."  
I rolled my eyes, smiling at her. "Our relationship is just about that complicated." I laughed.  
Within a twenty-four hour period, Owen and I haven't had a moment alone to fully discuss who we were and what our plans were with Maisie. Though we used our only alone time last night to calm pent up desires from the last two days. Thinking about it now, we actually should have talked things out.  
"Last time we went out was when Margaritaville was finished and Justin forced you to come hang with us instead of sit in your room and study, or whatever you were doing in there." Ronnie continued her plea to try and get a night out with all of us.  
My insides did a flip at the sound of Justin's name out loud. Memories of that night flooded through me. That was the last happy night we spent together before…  
I shook my head, forcing the thoughts out.  
"Soon." I promised Ronnie and Amanda.  
"Ronnie?" Owen asked, his cell phone tilted away from his ear.  
She turned to look at him.  
"I need some background information from you…" Owen continued to speak to Ronnie as he turned to walk back towards my desk. She followed close behind.  
My eyes scanned the room and I found Wyatt wondering over to Zia and Maisie.  
"Be right back," I called over my shoulder at Amanda.  
"There's kid volunteers now?" I heard Wyatt ask Maisie.  
"Who are you and when is that your business?" Zia stood from her chair, placing a hand on Maisie's shoulder.  
"What's going on?" I asked, stepping between Wyatt and Zia.  
"Who's kid?" Wyatt asked.  
"Mine," I blurted out. A protective instinct flowed strong through me, startling me a little.  
Wyatt's eyes widened in surprise. "Never pegged you as the motherly type." He snorted, "crazy cat lady, maybe. Mother? Wow."  
"Shut up and do something helpful or get the hell out." I snapped.  
"Claire the news reporters are downstairs." Franklin informed me.  
Breaking my glare at Wyatt, I turned to thank Franklin.  
I spun around to silently thank Zia and grabbed Maisie's hand.  
"Where are we going?" She asked as I led her across the room.  
"I have to go talk to some more reporters. Can you stay with Owen?"  
She nodded, and tugged at my hand lightly.  
I looked down to see a small smile on her lips. "You're keeping me?" She whispered.  
I knelt down in front of her, suddenly aware she heard my claim of her to Wyatt. "I'm sorry I said that to him. You decided what you want to do and Owen and I will do what we can to make it happen."  
"I liked hearing that. Apparently I don't technically have a mom or dad. You guys protect me. I don't want to go anywhere else."  
"Ok, then." I smiled, touching her cheek. "We will discuss it tonight."  
We approached Owen who was marking up a map of Northern California where sightings were coming in. Ronnie was on the phone pointing to places he was to mark.  
"Hey," I said softly, placing my free hand on his back.  
"Yeah," he replied, not looking up.  
I lifted my hand that gripped Maisie's and placed her hand on his. That made him look up at me.  
"What's going on?"  
"I have to go downstairs. I'll explain later, but keep her here with you."  
Owen stared into my eyes. I didn't blink.  
"Of course." He answered and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
I trusted Zia to keep Maisie protected, but I trusted Owen more. I just couldn't understand why Wyatt was interested in why she was there. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again my reports of what happened on Isla Nublar and the Lockwood Estate brought in more supporters for the DPG. As far as the world knew there was a technical safety feature that unlocked all the gates and set the dinosaurs free.  
I felt exhausted as I made my way back up to the office. With the government involvement I wondered if I could get a bigger building to work out of. Our little space was getting cramped real quick.  
"We watched you on TV!" Maisie chimed, skipping over to me as soon as I stepped off the elevator.  
"How did I do?" I asked her.  
"You're really good at speaking in front of a ton of people."  
I shrugged. "Used to it I guess."  
Owen walked over to us, Ronnie taking his place at my desk. "Everyone ordered lunch while you were downstairs. I figured you'd need some space, so we can go pick something up."  
I hugged him, "Yes, let's get out of here."  
Maisie chose a Chinese restaurant a block from the DPG. We were sat towards the back which I was thankful for. A few heads turned in my direction as I followed Owen, but thankfully no one stopped me to ask questions.  
"Is this how it's always going to be?" Maisie asked, breaking into her fortune cookie before she even touched her meal.  
Owen raised an eyebrow. "What?"  
"The three of us? Claire said we can talk about this later, but I've been thinking a lot about it."  
Owen and I exchanged a surprised look.  
Maisie dropped her cookie on her plate and crushed it into pieces with her fork. She didn't look up as she spoke. "I heard Mr. Mills say he was my guardian now, but he's dead. I don't know where I belong. I shouldn't even exist. I spent my life wondering about who my parents were. I dreamed of what they looked like, how much they loved me… I loved my Grandpa, but I desired a real family. I never left the house. I was homeschooled by Iris…" she trailed off and I noticed the stray tear the slid down her cheek.  
"Maisie," I started, pushing my plate aside so I could lean towards her. I grabbed her and and she squeezed my fingers. "Right now I don't want to promise you anything. Not until we find out legal information on your next of kin. We have to see your grandfathers will before promising to let you stay with us. Our main priority right now is to keep you safe and we will do that. Will we fight to keep you with us?" I asked the question and ready to answer, but Owen spoke up.  
"Damn right we will fight to keep you." He answered.  
Maisie looked up and smiled at him.  
"We may not have all the answers right now, sweetie," I took a deep breathe "but we will figure it out."  
"Together." Owen added.  
I reached under the table for his hand with my free hand and he twisted his fingers with mine.  
"Together." I repeated, starring into his eyes.  
We ate in silence for a few minutes until Maisie spoke up again. "Why did you get mad at that guy earlier?" She asked me.  
I was beginning to see a very inquisitive side of her. Something I could relate very well to. I smiled inside at that.  
"Don't bother too much with him," I rolled my eyes. "he's nosy and obnoxious."  
"Got some boxed up emotions for that one?" Owen asked, shoving his fork in his mouth.  
I shook my head. "I wouldn't touch that man with a six foot pole."  
Owen laughed. "And you hugged him?"  
I narrowed my eyes at him and mumbled, "That's not what I meant."  
He laughed loudly understanding what I was talking about. "Guess that's a good thing then."  
"Sounds complicated." Maisie sighed to herself and continued eating her chicken.  
"I didn't know you did an internship." He continued.  
I nodded slowly. "I did. The summer after my freshmen year of college."  
"So you saw it all begin." Maisie was very interested.  
I nodded again.  
"Wow," Owen sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. "I can't believe you never told me about that. Those friends of yours seem like you were really close during that time. Your friend Ronnie mentioned it was nice to see you happy with someone."  
I closed my eyes and hid my face in my hands. "I don't want to get into it here. That's not a table conversation. Especially not with a kid present." I mumbled and looked up at him.  
Owen's eyebrow raised and he leaned towards me, trying to search for his unspoken answers in my eyes.  
"I'm nine!" Maisie pointed out. "I'm almost ten and that's double digits."  
"I'll tell you when your eighteen and considered an adult." I informed her. She sulked back in her chair dissatisfied that she didn't have answers she was looking for. I looked from Maisie to Owen and laughed to myself. They were both sulking.  
After lunch there were two more interviews I had to do. Once they were taken care of I reclaimed my desk from Ronnie and Owen to answer emails.  
My phone rang beside me. The number looked familiar. I answered quickly.  
"Hello?"  
"Good afternoon, Ms. Dearing. I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Lockwood's estate. We would like to meet with you regarding Mr. Lockwood's will."  
My eyes searched, confused. "You need to speak to me?"  
"Yes, ma'am," the male voice spoke confidently. "tomorrow around 11:00 ok?"  
"Yes, of course." I stammered.  
"Wonderful, I will send over the information."  
"Thank you," I couldn't get my voice above a whisper.  
"Have a good rest of your day, Ms. Dearing." he said and hung up before I could say anything back.  
I sat frozen with the phone still to my ear. What was this about? Do they know we have Maisie?  
Maisie took the photo album that held pictures of her mother… pictures of her. She told us she wanted to take it with her so she at least had some pictures of her childhood. Mr. Lockwood had no pictures of Maisie herself.  
Was there something else they found?  
"You ok?" Owen's hand on my shoulder caused me to yell out. My phone flew from my hand, clambering to the desk and then slid off, landing on the floor.  
I gripped my chest, trying to get my breathing under control.  
"Whoe," Owen gripped the armrest of my chair and spun me so he was looking directly at me. "Hey, what's wrong."  
"Sorry," I panted. Still gripping my chest. "You scared me."  
"I called your name and you didn't hear me… who were you on the phone with?"  
My phone. It fell. I spun away from Owen to try and find where it fell. I couldn't get my mind to focus on anything.  
"Claire," Owen was suddenly peering up at me from where I was searching for my phone. It took me a minute before I realize he had it in his hand.  
"Lockwood Estate." I stammered.  
His hands were tight around my upper arms as he pulled me up from my chair. Owen backed up, his hands guiding me forward.  
"What's going on here?" Wyatt asked.  
I peeled my eyes from Owen's just as he backed into Wyatt.  
"Not now, man." Owen growled. He let one of his arm go so he could turn and see where he was walking.  
Out in the hallway he pressed me into a tight corner, quiet and away from curious ears.  
"What about the estate?" His face was close to mine, his breathe brushing across my face.  
"They want to meet with me regarding his will." My voice was just as low as his. "Do they know we have her?" My shock of the phone call quickly turned to panic.  
"I don't think so. They just wanted to speak to you?"  
I nodded.  
Owen, clapped his palm to his face, letting it slide down slowly. "Ok, I don't mean to spring everything on you at once, but I have to leave."  
"Where?" The phone call forgotten as I focused on Owen.  
"That friend of yours is a quick worker. We have a team set up to capture the T-Rex and a few other carnivores. If we can eliminate them the death toll will stay low."  
"You have to go?"  
"I need to."  
"You want to."  
"Claire—"  
I held up my hand to stop him from explaining himself.  
"Go," I simply stated and I stepped around him to head back to the office.  
"You mad?" He asked, following me closely.  
I spun to look back at him. I was furious and I didn't understand why. He was leaving me and I didn't want to handle that right now.  
"Just go!" I yelled. "Don't worry about me or the fact that we now have a kid to look after. It's fine Owen. I can take care of her on my own."  
"I'll be back in a few days." His voice was strained. He was trying not to yell back at me.  
I didn't want to admit that I wanted him to stay for selfish reasons. I just got him back and he was leaving again. There was a bigger problem out there than my own personal need to have Owen by my side.  
"Don't die." I blurted out and opened the door to the office.  
He reached in front of me and slammed it shut. Probably drawing attention from the large group inside.  
His eyes narrowed as he leaned in so his eyes were level with mine. _"Don't die?"_ he growled.  
He gave a hard laugh when I didn't say anything.  
"I'm doing this for us!" His voice echoed off the walls around us. "I want to start our lives together without having to constantly look over our shoulder. Why aren't you understanding that?"  
I was understanding. That's why I didn't want him to go. I was just too stubborn to let myself be that vulnerable.  
We've shared moments of weakness after the fall of Jurassic World. This… this was different. This was me not wanting him to go off into a dangerous situation for my selfish needs. I let Owen slip out of my life once, and I would be damned if I let it happen again.  
When I spoke I made sure my voice was low and calm. "I'm sure you have to pack. You have a long drive back to your property." I pushed passed him and made my way back into the office.

 _ **Please leave a REVIEW they keep me motivated!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for the support! I have big plans for Wyatt! I always saw him as a bad guy, so... let's see what happens!**_

 _ ****READ AND REVIEW****_

As expected all eyes were on me when I walked in. Maisie was the only one I was looking for in the sea of eyes.  
I clenched my hands into fists when I saw Wyatt standing beside her, patting her back.  
"Maisie," I held my hand out for her as I approached them.  
She quickly took it and Wyatt let his hand fall back to his side.  
"She was a little nervous with the arguing. Figured she'd know by now, her mother has a temper."  
Art was at my side. His arms crossed against his chest. "We warned you to leave Claire alone. She's got way more to deal with right now than you're dumb ass remarks."  
"I'm just curious as to why she would have her daughter in the middle of all this mess."  
I moved Maisie so she was standing behind me.  
"Leave my daughter alone." I couldn't believe how natural that statement sounded. How confident I was in my words. Maisie's hand in mine gave a light squeeze.  
Suddenly I was very aware that Owen didn't follow me back in the room. My eyes searched out Ronnie who was packing up her stuff.  
She glanced down at her phone as I made my way over to her, dragging Maisie behind me.  
"Claire!" She exclaimed, dropping her phone into her bag.  
"You leaving, too?" I asked her.  
"Owen and I are expected for duty at O-one hundred hours."  
"Why so late?" I wondered.  
"We figured overnight capture and relocate would have the least amount of civilian interaction."  
"Be safe." I told her, but it was a silent plea to her to make sure Owen was safe.  
She gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, "He loves you more than you think." She said and stepped around me.  
The afternoon dragged on. I stood from my desk, stretching, and took on the almost empty room around me. The only people left were Art, Wyatt and Zia. They were each on a computer.  
"Can we go home yet?" Maisie asked sleepily. I looked down and noticed she had pushed two chairs together for a makeshift bed.  
"Yes," I smiled down at the sleepy girl. I knelt down beside the chairs she was laying on. "Sorry you had to be stuck in here all day. Things are going to be a little hectic for a while."  
"I don't mind. I just wish I can help out more."  
"You can be Zia's assistant tomorrow. I have a meeting I have to go to." I had no idea how I was going to leave Maisie alone tomorrow, but whatever Mr. Lockwood's lawyers wanted to speak to me about would not be in front of Maisie.  
I stood and turned to face the remaining workers. "Ok, guys. Let's call it a night."  
"Yes!" Zia hissed and shoved away from her desk. She strode over towards Maisie and I. "See ya tomorrow, Kiddo."  
Maisie waved. "Bye, Zia!"  
Art and Wyatt finished what they were doing and shut down their computers.  
"Husband leaves you two to walk home alone?" Wyatt asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Art slapped the back of his head.  
"What he meant to say is do you need us to walk you ladies home."  
I smiled at him. "No, we will be fine. Thank you."  
"You sure?" Wyatt asked, looking out the window. "There's still some unauthorized reporters down there."  
"Shit," I hissed. I didn't want anyone snapping pictures of Maisie. Especially not Maisie and I together. "Art, could you possibly walk with Maisie? My apartment is three blocks from here. Just get her passed the front door and I'll catch up."  
"Why?" Wyatt asked.  
"Because I don't want her involved with any of this."  
Art ignored Wyatt. "Of course, Claire."  
Maisie looked up at me, worry in her eyes.  
I gave her hand to Art. "I'll be right behind you. You'll be fine."  
I watched them through the window as Art effortlessly escorted Maisie away from the cameras and microphones. None of them even glanced at the two as they walked by.  
"Protective, little mama bear." Wyatt said behind me.  
I turned to face him, arms crossed against my chest. "It's funny, I figured you would have grown up a little, but it seems you will always be an ass. That attitude won't make it very far in my office. You may not be an employee, but I do hold seniority over you as long as you are standing in this room. Piss me off, speak to my daughter, or aggravate Owen and I will let him toss you out so fast, you wont be sure which part of your body hit the pavement first. Got it?"  
His smug smirk gave away his answer.  
I shoved by him, my shoulder knocking into his.  
"Hey, wait!" He ran after me.  
I pressed the button for the elevator.  
"Let me walk you out."  
"I'm not a damsel in distress. I'm pretty sure I survived two hybrid dinosaur attacks. I can handle a few reporters."  
"I'm just trying to make things right."  
I rolled my eyes and stepped into the elevator. "Then apologize and leave me alone."  
"I would be nice to me if I were you," he stepped into the elevator with me.  
The door shut and he stepped close to me. I backed into the corner of the elevator.  
"What the hell are you doing?" I shoved against his chest.  
"I may have information you want. This time you won't get anything out of me by blackmail. It's my turn to return the threat."  
My heart pounded in my chest. "What threat?"  
"Exactly." He winked and backed away from me.  
I stared at him trying to figure out what kind of information he would have that I need.  
"You know," he started, reaching over to touch my hair. I slapped his hand away. "I did have a crush on you. That's why I give you such a hard time."  
"Not interested." I grumbled.  
Thankfully the doors opened and I walked quickly through the lobby. I could hear Wyatt's footsteps behind me.  
"Claire!"  
"Ms. Dearing!"  
"Over here!"  
I was immediately approached by the few reporters at the door.  
"Make an appointment if you'd like to speak to her." Wyatt, grabbed my arm forcing me through the small crowd.  
I let him lead me to the next block and tried pulling my arm from his grasp. He tightened his grip.  
"You're hurting me." I growled through clenched teeth.  
He led me to a quiet spot and shoved my back against the brick wall. "Claire I'm trying to work with you here. I can make sure you are set for life."  
"I'm doing just fine, thank you. Now let go!"  
"Think about it, please. You don't have to be chasing these dinosaurs. You can be a part of something bigger."  
"I'm not chasing them! I'm protecting them."  
He let me yank my arm from his hand and I immediately stepped back into the safety of the lights on the sidewalk.  
"She's not your daughter, is she?"  
I spun on my heels to look at him. "Why do you say that?"  
He shrugged. "Just asking."


	5. Chapter 5

_**WOOHOO! Loving the support so far! This chapter will hopefully have a few of you not mad at me anymore for making Claire and Owen fight ;) Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW! :***_

Wyatt stepped close to me again, his eyes bright with desire. "Why do you always have to be so secretive. What goes on it that head of yours?"  
"Got a death wish, man?" Owen's voice was loud, anger vibrating off of him as he approached us.  
Wyatt took a quick step away from me.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, trying my best to still be mad at him. I knew he saw the relief in my eyes.  
Owen ignored my question. "You ok?"  
I nodded.  
"Maisie and your friend are at the apartment." He turned to face Wyatt. "Touch her again and I'll break your arms."  
This was a new side of Owen. Protective. In this moment I fell in love with him all over again.  
Wyatt raised his hands, palms out to Owen. "Easy there, killer. Meant no harm. We are just talking."  
"And we're done." I finished and placed my hand on Owen's arm.  
Without looking away from Wyatt, he reached back and slipped his arm around my waist, escorting me towards the apartment building.  
"What's that guys problem?"  
I sighed. "He thinks he's privileged. He was only accepted into Bright Minds because his father worked for Mr. Masrani. He did nothing but try and get in everyone's business."  
"Maybe I should recruit him to come capture the T-Rex."  
I snorted. "Or feed him to her."  
"Right," Owen laughed. "he can be the bait."  
I looked down at my hands, turning the conversation between us into a more serious one. "He knows Maisie isn't ours."  
"How?"  
I shrugged. "He asked if she was really my daughter."  
"Well, it's none of his damn business. As far as anyone in that room is concerned, she's ours. We just have to come up with a background story."  
"Let's wait until my meeting with the lawyers tomorrow. Then we will go from there."  
"Sorry I won't be there."  
"I get it," I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I snapped before. There's just so much going on all at once. We barely talked about who we are, there's a nine year old kid thrown into our lives, dinosaurs roaming California…" I trailed off when Owen stepped in front of me.  
"As far as we are concerned, I love you, Claire. I never stopped. Whatever happens next with any of this, I don't care. As long as I have you… and Maisie."  
I raised an eyebrow and leaned into him. "Where did this sweet side come from?"  
He shrugged. "I figured I'd better speak what's on my mind before you went on a screaming rampage."  
I laughed against his chest. "How long until you have to leave?"  
"In a little while. I wanted to make sure I didn't leave with you mad at me."  
I shook my head. "I'm not mad."  
"Good, because there's something I want to give you."  
I leaned back so I could look at his face. "What?"  
"I'm not the traditional type of guy, there's no good time to do this right now, but I will not lose you again."  
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."  
"I know," Owen stuttered. "Just hear me out."  
"Back at Jurassic world when we first met, you were the most complicated woman I have ever met. Beautiful, confident, smart… you had it all. After finally getting you out on a date I knew there was more to you. You had this wall up and I made it a mission to knock it down," He fiddled with something in his pocket, "after the park was done we tried, I know we tried, but we needed to grieve the loss of the park in different ways. Not one day went by that I didn't tell myself I'd get you back. Now that I have you I will not let you get away."  
I couldn't help but smile. "So you do admit that I left you."  
He rolled his eyes. "Not the point I'm getting at."  
He pulled out the item he was fiddling with in his pocket.  
My eyes went wide as I backed away from him.  
A ring. A gold band with diamonds embedded in it. A perfect square diamond sat in the center. Smaller diamonds surrounded it.  
"Owen," I gasped.  
"I've had this for the last two years. I picked it up when we were driving down the coast. You wanted to go into some of the shops and I said I would stay in the van." he shook his head, "I didn't stay in the van."  
"I'm not wife material."  
"You're perfect."  
Tears streamed down my cheeks. "I'm really not."  
"You're all I need in this fucked up world we live in. Marry me, Claire. When all this is over. Marry me."  
My insides were screaming. My head spun. Owen seemed to notice because his hands were soft on my arms.  
I looked up to meet his eyes.  
"Marry me," he whispered, bringing his lips to mine.  
I leaned into the kiss. His hand slid down my left arm, slipping the ring in place.  
"Say yes," he mumbled against my lips.  
I couldn't hide the sob that crept up my throat. "Yes," I cried.  
We walked hand in hand up to my apartment. Art was serving Maisie another slice of pizza.  
He looked up when we walked in. "Did you get lost?"  
"Sorry," I smiled.  
"I ordered pizza," Owen pointed out.  
"Maisie got hungry," Art laughed as Maisie gave a sauce faced smile.  
Art moved towards the door, leaning down to hug me on his way by. "Good to see you again, Claire."  
"Thank you for all your help." I replied.  
"You've got one of the good ones," Art held his hand out to Owen.  
"That I did." He agreed, shaking his hand.  
"By Maisie!"  
She waved from her seat.  
The room fell silent when he left. I noticed the large green duffle by Maisie's feet. Reality hit and I remembered Owen was leaving.  
His arms slipped around my waist and he kissed my cheek. "It's just a few days. I will call you tomorrow night to see how everything went."  
I couldn't find my voice, so I nodded.  
He went to step away from me and I grabbed his shirt, pulling him back into me.  
"Hey," I smiled through my tears. "I love you."  
He kissed me quickly, knowing Maisie was just a few feet from where we stood.  
"Love you," he said against my lips.  
It was him that had to break out of my arms. I wasn't letting go on my own.  
He walked over to his bag, catching Maisie's wide-eyed gaze.  
"Just a quick trip. I'll be fine." He kissed the top of her head.  
She nodded.  
"Take care of that one," he nodded in my direction.  
Maisie giggled. "I will." She spun in her chair and wrapped her arms around his waist. He hugged her back.  
Without another word, he reached for his bag and walked out the door. I wanted to fall apart. This was the first time we weren't facing a dinosaur together. There was a bigger responsibility and she was now starring at me for the next move.


	6. Chapter 6

After Maisie finished her dinner I instructed her to get cleaned up for bed. Tired, she obeyed and made her way to the guest bedroom.  
While she was out of the room, I sat down on the couch and called Zia.  
"What?" She snapped. Making it obvious I woke her up.  
"Hey, sorry. Listen can you come to my apartment tomorrow to keep an eye on Maisie? I don't want her at the DPG without me. I don't want her around Wyatt."  
"Yeah, no problem. Bye." She hung up before I could say anything else. I got the answer I wanted, so I let her go back to sleep. I laughed to myself; I thought Owen was the cranky one when he was woken up.  
I glanced down at my ring, smiling to myself. I felt like a giddy-teenage girl who was just asked to senior prom.  
"That's pretty," Maisie pointed at the ring I was twisting around on my finger.  
I patted the cushion beside me and she skipped over to sit next to me. She took my left hand in hers to look at it closer.  
"Is it an engagement ring?" Her eyebrow raised as she waited for an answer.  
I nodded. "He just asked when we were outside."  
"Yes!" Maisie jumped to her feet and I couldn't help but laugh at her.  
"I appreciate the excitement." I told her.  
"This means I'll have a real mom and dad."  
My heart stopped. "Oh," I gasped.  
"Yeah, most parents are married, right?" She asked, sitting back down next to me.  
I nodded. "But, Maisie," I took her hands in mine. "When I go to this meeting tomorrow someone might have custody of you. Some family we might not know about. Legally you would belong to them."  
Tears pooled in her eyes. I hated to give her this information, but the truth is best.  
"Don't worry though, I swear I will not let you go to anyone until I do a full background check." I winked at her. "I have Franklin on our side."  
She smiled and gave a slow nod. "What if no one knows I exist?"  
I smiled. "Then you stay with us."  
"I hope I get to stay here."  
I pulled her into my side, "So do we, Sweetie."  
She yawned and I stood up, pulling her up with me. "Bed."  
"See," she said as she led the way to the guest room. "you're already like my mom."  
I forced a laugh, glad she didn't see the pain in my face. The more time I spend with her the more I desired to be her mother— to be a mother.  
She climbed into bed and I pulled the blankets up around her.  
"All settled?" I asked.  
She scooted down a little and nuzzled her head into the pillow. "All set."  
I couldn't help but laugh at her.  
"Good night," I said and leaned down to kiss her forehead. I could see a glimmer of fear in her eyes as I reached for the bedside lamp. "If you need me, don't be afraid to come get me."  
The fear slowly faded and she nodded, "Ok."  
I left her door open and switched the hall light on.  
"Thank you, Claire." She called out to me.  
"You're welcome!"  
I knew her peaceful night sleep last night was strictly due to exhaustion. That will fade and the nightmares will come.  
Wondering into my room I stared at the empty bed. Though Owen only slept here one night, it felt strange to be going to bed alone. I changed for bed and laid down.  
My leg hurt, so I stretched it out to try and make the throbbing stop. I shuddered at the memory of the claw digging into my leg.  
I didn't realize I fell asleep until someone was calling my name. Blinking my eyes open, I focused on Maisie. Shaking beside my bed.  
"Oh, Maisie!" I gasped, springing up in bed and reached for her arms.  
"It ate you!" She cried out as I pulled her down to lay beside me.  
"I'm fine."  
I wrapped my arms around her and she cried into my chest.  
"It's ok," my heart broke for her. She's way to young to have so much stress placed on her tiny shoulders.  
"Can—" she hiccuped. "can I stay in here tonight?"  
I scooted over to Owen's side of the bed to give her room. "Of course you can."  
She moved slightly so she was beside me and I tucked the blankets around her.  
propping myself up on my elbow, I ran my fingers through her hair. A motion I remember my mom doing for me when I would have a nightmare as a child.  
She relaxed and closed her eyes. Sleep quickly took over and I prayed she would be nightmare free for the rest of the night.  
Morning came quickly and I woke up to Maisie curled up in a ball sound asleep. Carful not to wake her I got up and showered.  
I peeked out my bathroom door to see she was still in the same position she was in before. Smiling at how soundly she was sleeping, I finished getting dressed and made my way into the kitchen.  
My phone was charging on the counter and I reached for it to check my messages. There was a text from Owen.  
Good morning. I'm fine.  
It was quick and just what I wanted. I knew he was busy, and smiled at the thought of him knowing I would be freaking out until I heard from him.  
There was a knock on the door and I opened it.  
Zia barged in, her hair still a mess. "You better have coffee." She grumbled.  
I cringed when she walked into the kitchen and saw I didn't make any yet.  
"I'll get it." I told her and moved her cranky body out of the way.  
She dragged her feet into the living room and threw herself on the couch. "This is way too early to even function."  
I shrugged. This was normal for me.  
"Here," I handed her a cup of coffee and she took it quickly.  
Glancing down the hallway, I contemplated waking Maisie up to say goodbye, but I knew she needed her sleep.  
"She'll be fine." Zia spoke into her cup as she sipped her coffee.  
I reached for my car keys. "I know," I said quickly. "Do not answer the door for anyone." I instructed.  
She rolled her eyes and snorted. "Do I look like I'm twelve?"  
"I know," I laughed. "I'm sorry."  
"I do charge ten dollars an hour though." She winked.  
I smiled and shook my head. "I'll start a tab." I said and walked out the door.  
I plugged in the address I was given into my GPS and headed towards the law offices. The ride took forever. I didn't think I would ever make it, but finally I was pulling into a parking spot.  
There were many meetings I've been to in my life, none of them made me this sick to my stomach.  
I leaned my head against the steering wheel, trying to get my breathing back to normal. Thankfully I didn't eat breakfast or I would be concentrating on trying to not get sick.  
Getting out of the car, I smoothed down my navy blue skirt and tightened the matching suite jacket around me. I took a deep breathe and made my way into the office.  
A small woman at the desk looked up as soon as I stepped inside. "Ms. Dearing?"  
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."  
"Mr. Trujillo is expecting you." She motioned down the small hallway.  
"Thank you," I said and walked in the direction she pointed out.  
The name was marked on the door and I knocked twice.  
"Come on in, Ms. Dearing."  
With a shaking hand I reached for the doorknob.  
Inside the office three older men in almost identical suites sat at an oval table. The men stood up when I approached them.  
We introduced ourselves and as perfect gentlemen, they waiting until I took my seat to take theirs.  
"Mr. Lockwood's death has saddened us all. His passion for the dinosaurs is almost as great as yours."  
I smiled at that.  
"He left a sealed envelope for you." Mr. Trujillo slid a large manilla envelope across the table at me.  
I glanced down at the envelope and in his handwriting he wrote my name across the front and directly under it read Confidential. I glanced up at the lawyers.  
"We will give you a moment to look through the contents."  
They stood together and exited the room, leaving me alone.  
As if I was a child on Christmas morning, I ripped open the envelope. There was a letter inside handwritten by Mr. Lockwood.

 _Claire,_

 _It has come to my attention that I may have failed you in our mission to safely transport these magnificent creatures to their sanctuary. If you shall ever read this than I was not well enough to see this devastation through and I'm sorry. While I prepare to shut this operation down I know I can trust you if I shall succumb to my illness. In this packet you will find an updated will, leaving my estate to the Dinosaur Protection Group. There is still time to save them, Claire. I know you are strong enough to continue helping these animals find the freedom we both know they deserve._  
 _There is one more thing I must ask. My granddaughter, Maisie is a very special girl. She exists only to a handful of people. People I can no longer trust. She needs protection. She is the first human clone to be successfully born in the lab. She's just as precious to me as my own daughter. I need you to make sure she is safe._  
 _I'm putting my hopes and dreams in your hands because I know you have the tenacity to fix this mess. I have faith in you, Claire. You will have all you need to keep your company going even after the dinosaurs are saved._  
 _Go forth and conquer._

 _Yours truly,_  
 _Benjamin Lockwood_

I wiped the tears from my eyes as I went over the rest of the contents of the envelope. Everything he said was there. Nothing in his will stated Maisie's name. The lawyers were among those that have no idea of her existence. She could be ours without any type of battle.  
Suddenly feeling confident and folded up my letter and placed it in my coat pocket. As I began to lay my copy of the will in front of me the lawyers filed back in the room.  
We discussed the transfer of the estate and I had more paperwork to fill out than I have ever done before.  
It was close to dinner before I was finished at the law office.  
Sitting in my car I cried. For the first time I cried happy tears. I cried for a life that could be complete and happy.  
Reaching for my phone I quickly sent Owen a text: Call me when you can. She's ours.  
It was seconds later when my phone rang.  
"That was quick." I said into the phone.  
"The meeting? It went well?" Owen's voice flowed through me, calming every nerve in my body.  
"I'll explain more when you're home, but Maisie doesn't exist outside the walls of the Lockwood estate."  
He was silent for a moment. "Guess that's a good thing."  
I knew the hesitation was one of anger and frustration. I felt the same way. That meant that Maisie is seeing the world for the first time. She spent nine years of her life caged up just like the dinosaurs.  
"I'll call you later, babe." I could hear his smile when he spoke the nickname I always hated. Now, though, it felt natural.  
I couldn't hold back the giggle. "Bye"  
I drove as fast as I could back to the city, wanting to give Maisie the good news I knew she was stressing about.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Just saying a quick thank you to all that are reading this story! It's so much fun to write and I have a HUGE plan for this story. Now that you know Maisie get's to stay I will continue this story through Owen and Claire raising her as their own. There will be a lot of firsts with the three of them! Keep those reviews coming! I appreciate the motivation!**_

As soon as I put my key in the door to unlock it, it swung open.  
Maisie bounced in front of me. "How did it go?"  
"How about you pick out a color to paint your room?"  
Her eyes grew wide and her smile spread all the way up to her ears. "I can stay?"  
"Yes," tears welled up in my eyes when I noticed hers spilling down her cheeks.  
"I have a family!" She cried, and fell into my arms.  
I heard a faint sniffle behind Maisie. Looking over her head I noticed Zia quickly swipe her hand across her cheek.  
"What?" She snapped when she noticed me smiling at her. "I'm not crying, you're crying!"  
I couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks for watching her today."  
She nodded.  
"Hear anything from the DPG?" I asked her.  
"Just some newspaper reporters wanting to talk to you. There's been news coverage all day about the dinosaurs the military captured. They got a brachiosaurus, triceratops, and working on the T-Rex still."  
"They did all that in a night?" I couldn't believe how quick they were working. "Zia you should go and check out the state of the ones they captured so far."  
She clapped her hands together, "Oh! I thought you would never ask! I'll leave tonight!"  
She hurried over towards where Maisie and I were standing by the door.  
Maisie giggled at her.  
"Check in with Owen when you get there. He will help you." She nodded and hurried out the door.  
"She's funny." Maisie said when I shut the door.  
"You hungry?" I asked, making my way into the kitchen. Being that I still haven't stocked my fridge with kid friendly food, I reached for the pile of take out menus.  
"Starving! I was too nervous to eat lunch."  
My stomach grumbled to remind me I didn't eat either.  
We settled on burgers and while we waiting for the delivery I poured a glass of wine. Maisie flipped through the channels on the TV.  
"Claire! It's Owen!" She yelled.  
I all but leaped over the counter to see what she was talking about. Sure enough Owen was being interviewed. A sleeping T-Rex laid out behind him. A group of uniformed men and women worked to get her loaded on a truck.  
Owen was explaining how they tracked her down and their plans to make sure she is safe at the sanctuary set aside for them.  
"What are you looking forward to doing now?" The reporter asked him.  
"Going home to my fiancé and our daughter."  
"Yeah!" Maisie threw her hands in the air and jumped around the room.  
I laughed as if I didn't have a single worry in the world.  
It wasn't until Maisie was in bed when Owen called me.  
"Saw your interview today." I said when I answered.  
"I'm almost as famous as you now."  
I snorted. "Hardly."  
He laughed.  
"I'll be home tomorrow night and we will talk about what our story is for Maisie."  
"Sounds like a plan." I answered.  
"I'm guessing she took the news well."  
I sighed heavily, laying back on the bed. "She is ecstatic. She said she finally has a family."  
Owen groaned. "Oh, man. Poor kid. What did the lawyers say?"  
"Lockwood is fully funding the DPG. Somehow he knew he couldn't trust Eli anymore."  
"That's amazing! I wonder how he found out."  
We were silent for a moment, listening to each other breathing.  
Owen was the one to break the silence. "You're friend, here, is a hard worker."  
"Yeah," I agreed, "she's a tough one."  
"She's told me some stories about your summer on the island."  
My heart stopped and I spoke slowly. "Like… what?"  
"Just that even back then you fought for these animals." He paused for a moment and his voice grew serious. "Why didn't you ever tell me about your internship?"  
I was silent.  
"Claire, this would have been something I'd think you'd be gloating about."  
"Not now, please."  
"Did something happen?"  
I sighed, bringing my palm to my face. "Please, Owen. I will tell you about it, but now isn't the time."  
"Did someone hurt you?"  
I let out an uneasy laugh. "Something like that."  
Owen spoke quick. He was suddenly angry. "Was it Wyatt? Did he hurt you? Claire, I don't care if it was fourteen years ago, I'll kill the bastard!"  
"Owen!" I yelled to get him to stop his mind from running away from him. "It wasn't Wyatt."  
"Ok," he let out a sigh of relief. "I'll let it go for now. Get some sleep."  
"Good job today."  
"You too."  
We hung up and I laid, starring at the ceiling until I fell asleep.  
I stirred in bed, the clatter of something in the kitchen startling me awake. Glancing at the clock it was just after two in the morning. My room was at the end of the hallway. Leaning over the edge of the bed I could just see into the kitchen.  
Someone was moving around.  
I slid out of bed, searching the floor for any type of weapon. My hand groped the carpet until I hit one of my stilettos. It'll have to do.  
Flipping the shoe in my hand, heel pointed away from me, I poked my head out the door. The shadow was definitely too large to be Maisie.  
Peeking at the door just to my right I sighed, it was still closed. The hall light only shown partly into the kitchen.  
Finding courage, I crept down the hall towards where the rustling was coming from. The movement stopped when I stepped into the kitchen.  
I squinted into the shadows casted by the hall light.  
Before I could open my mouth and call out to whoever was stalking around, a hand clapped lightly over my mouth and a familiar arm slipped around my waist, hand flat against my stomach.  
"Don't scream. It's just me."  
My heart pounded against my rips as I tried to gain control of my breathing. I spun in Owen's arms and he grabbed my shoe out of my hand.  
"You were going to fend off an intruder with this?"  
I shrugged. "I outran a T-Rex in them, why not?"  
"I've got to teach you self defense."  
Ignoring his teasing, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"  
He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. "The troops have it handled. Ronnie took the lead. You need me here more."  
That was exactly what I wanted to hear.  
Tightening my arms around his neck, I crushed myself against him. He followed my motion and slid his hands down my back until they gripped the back of my thigh's. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips.  
With perfect concentration he walked into my room without breaking the kiss. Kicking the door shut with his foot, he laid me on the bed and every worry in the world faded away.  
Laying silent, my back pressed against Owen's chest, his arm draped over my hip. I wanted to stay in this moment. I was truly happy. A feeling I haven't fully felt in many years. What Owen and I had before was purely out of passion. We fell in love during our time together, but this right now felt different. This was a deeper love than I have ever felt before.  
Owen pressed his lips to my shoulder. "I hate that we have to get dressed." He murmured against my skin.  
I leaned back into him. "I know, but Maisie had a nightmare last night."  
He leaned up on his elbow and I turned my head to look up at him.  
"What was it about?" He asked.  
"The Indo-raptor. She said it ate me."  
Owen's hand moved from my waist and slid down my thigh until he touched the bandage the covered my stitches.  
"Yeah," he sighed, bringing his lips to my shoulder again. "I have that one, too."  
I turned so I was fully facing him and brought my hand up to touch his cheek. "I'm fine."  
"I know," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss me.  
I let my hand slide from his cheek and pressed against his chest. Something felt off. I pulled back, breaking the kiss and glanced down at a large scratch I didn't seem to notice before.  
"Owen," I gasped, as I traced the line that moved from one side of his chest to the other. It wasn't deep, but it was still big.  
He reached for my hand and pulled it away. Sitting up and reaching for his shirt, I quickly sat up and pulled the shirt out of his hands.  
"What happened?"  
He shrugged, "It was nothing really."  
"Looks like something to me!"  
He reached for my shirt and handed it to me. I threw it off the bed.  
"Owen," I demanded and ducked under his arm, moving so I was on his lap. "Was that dinosaur related?"  
He kissed my nose and gave a small chuckle. "If I tell you, you need to cut your nails will you believe that was from you?"  
I lightly slapped his shoulder. "Not going to work," I smiled and let my nails drag down his stomach. They were cut short, leaving no marks in their path.  
He shivered.  
"Try again, big guy."  
He sighed heavily. "The triceratops gave a hard time. Her horn scratched me. No big deal. I wasn't in any kind of danger."  
I kissed his lips.  
His arms tightened around me.  
"Owen," I mumbled against his lips when he laid back, pulling me with him. "We have to get dressed." I sat up, now straddling his hips.  
He smiled up at me, his hands sliding up my side. "We will."  
I rolled my eyes and smiled down at him, blushing a little at the way he was smiling at me.  
"You're heartbreakingly beautiful." He whispered.  
I leaned down and kissed the scratch. "Get used to it, Grady, this is the last woman you'll ever see."  
He locked his arms around me, holding me flat against him. "I'm more than ready."  
I kissed him with as much passion as I could possibly find in my body. Getting dressed was going to have to wait.


	8. Chapter 8

_**This chapter may not be as entertaining as some, but it's got a lot of information in it, so enjoy! Leave your review! I have the next few chapters written... actually a few versions of the next few chapters. I just don't know which way I want the story to go right now lol.**_

When I woke up in the morning, I searched the sheets beside me. Opening my eyes, I noticed they were empty. Did I dream Owen was home?  
"Owen!" Maisie screeched from the kitchen.  
Nope, wasn't a dream.  
I got up quickly and walked down the hall. She was still in his arms when I walked into the kitchen.  
Owen placed Maisie on the floor when they saw me walk in. She skipped over to grab my hand and turned back towards Owen.  
"Did Claire tell you? I get to stay!"  
Owen nodded. "Yes, and we are very excited. But, Maisie to try and keep your… involvement… with InGen a secret, you have always been our daughter."  
"I had a feeling that's what Claire was doing with Wyatt."  
"Yes," I smiled down at her. "As far as anyone outside this apartment is concerned you are biologically ours."  
"Biologically?" Both Owen and Maisie asked at the same time."  
I nodded, glancing at both of their confused faces. Did they expect an adoption story? Not what I had in mind.  
"How is that going to work?" Owen asked, turning quickly to place French Toast on three plates. He handed Maisie hers and she quickly went to her spot at the counter. I took mine and sat beside her. Owen stood, eyes locked on mine.  
"Ever hear of a one night stand?" I asked Owen.  
He choked on his coffee and glanced down at Maisie. She was even more confused than before.  
He coughed, trying to clear his lungs. "Are you capable of that?"  
I laughed and raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't you like to know."  
He placed his cup on the counter and brought his hands to his hips, raising an eyebrow, "Really? How many?"  
"What are you talking about?" Maisie questioned, her eyes flickering from me to Owen.  
"Well," I pushed my plate aside to lean my elbows on the counter and ignored Owen's comment. "thankfully Owen was actually around the island about nine years ago. I remember seeing his name on the paperwork for the new breed of raptors. He popped in and out of the lab while the eggs were in an incubator to check up on them—"  
"Oh, crap!" Owen gasped, cutting me off. "That's right. I ran into you briefly at the raptor paddock. I was checking out the land you had set aside to build the paddock."  
I nodded. "We say thats where we met and Maisie happened. Since the park was just opening I was spending a lot of time in my office behind my desk."  
Owen shook his head. "But where was she after she was born."  
I shrugged, "I never spoke of my personal life at work. No one would have known if I had a child or not. Plus I took some time off after my mom died which is right around the time she could have been born." It did make sense. We had asked Maisie about her birthday and she said they celebrated on May eleventh.  
He snorted, "So I was a deadbeat dad?"  
I shook my head and laughed. "No! We shared custody."  
"And that first date?" He asked.  
"Tried to make it work."  
Owen doubled over laughing. "Tried and failed miserably."  
"Plus once I explain all this to my sister we can say she spent some time with her to go to school."  
He pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes. "You really thought about it, huh."  
I nodded. "It would explain why we are just now getting married. Our story never changes, we just tweaked it a little in the beginning."  
"But I don't look like you guys." Maisie pouted. "I have brown eyes." Neither one of you have brown eyes."  
Owen was the one to answer. "I may have blue eyes, but luckily we pretty much have the same hair color. As for your eyes my mother had brown eyes and Claire's nephew has brown eyes."  
Maisie's shoulders relaxed and she took another bite of her french toast.  
"See," I pointed out, "Family genes run deep. I am the only one in my family with red hair and green eyes. My sister is a strawberry blond and my parents had blond hair. We learned that the red comes from my great grandparents."  
Maisie smiled. "Ok! But I have another question." She looked down at her hands.  
"You can ask us anything." I told her.  
"What about my last name?"  
Owen and I looked at each other.  
"What do you want to do about it?" Owen asked her.  
"Well," she started and spoke slowly, not looking up from her hands. "I think if you guys had me I would have one of your last names, right?"  
We both nodded.  
"Then, Claire," Owen held his hands out to me. "what last name would you have given her at birth?"  
Without hesitating I answered him. "Grady." I was one for tradition that way.  
We both looked at Maisie who was smiling.  
"When you get married, will you change your last name?" She asked me.  
I nodded.  
"Then I want to be a Grady, too."  
"That settles it!" Owen opened his arms and pointed at Maisie and I, "Grady women in training! I like it!"  
Maisie and I laughed.  
"Go get dressed so we can go down to the DPG. I want to talk to Franklin." I told Maisie.  
She slid from her seat and ran to her room.  
Owen waited until Maisie was out of earshot and whispered, "You're going to have him forge a birth certificate, aren't you."  
I nodded. "Congratulations, daddy," I smiled, "It's a girl."  
He reached for me and kissed me. "God, I love that brain of yours." He mumbled against my lips.  
"We will have to take a trip to see my sister. I want to make sure everything I get from Franklin looks legal." Since my sister was a lawyer, I knew she would know exactly what we needed.  
"What about school?" Owen asked. "We know she was homeschooled. Will you continue that?"  
"I can if she wants to—"  
"I want to go to real school." Maisie spoke up as she walked back into the kitchen. "Iris said I was really smart. I can do it."  
I flashed Owen a look of panic. Having her out in the world without one of us scared me.  
Owen smiled reassuringly at me and looked down at Maisie. "We'll make it happen." He looked back up at me. "But she will not be going to school around here."  
I raised an eyebrow. "Then where?"  
"Remember that cabin I'm building?"  
"Owen, that's too far from—"  
He raised a hand to cut me off, "So find an office space closer to the property. That's where we will be living when I finish. There's room for an addition that I always had planned for when we had kids."  
"Excuse me?" I squeaked. He bought that property after we split up.  
He laughed and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "The cabin has always been for you. I was going to finish it and come after you. You wanted a place to call home. You told me a hundred times. Well, I'm building you one. A home we can raise a family in."  
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, smiling against his lips. "When can we move in?"  
He tightened his hold on me. "I need a few months to finish."  
"A new house?"  
I jumped, forgetting Maisie was standing beside us.  
"A cabin, out by a lake. enough property to get lost in and away from the city." Owen explained to her.  
"Sounds amazing!" She cheered.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Lots going on this chapter! Enjoy!**_

Owen had Maisie's hand while we walked the three blocks to the office. For the first time there were no reporters at the door. They were following around the dinosaur captures.  
"Hey guys!" Amanda walked over and gave me a hug.  
"Good job yesterday, Owen!" She raised her hand for a high-five and he clapped his hand to hers.  
"Thanks!" He smiled.  
"Yeah, man. That was quick." Art added, stepping beside me. He reached behind me and poked Maisie's arm.  
"Come to hang out again today?"  
Maisie nodded, letting go of Owen's hand to take his. "What are we working on?" She asked him. They walked over to a desk and he started showing her something on the computer.  
"She ok?" Owen asked me.  
I gave him a quick kiss. "Art is one of the good ones."  
"I need posted notes to keep track of everyone here." Owen grumbled as he followed me to where Franklin had his face glued to his computer.  
"Owen, man you have messages coming in like crazy!" Franklin exclaimed, not even looking up from the computer.  
"Franklin we need to talk to you."  
His eyes shot up to look at me. Panic on his face. "I didn't do it."  
I winked at him, "Not yet."  
"What?" He asked, confused.  
I turned to walk towards the door, the hallway was the only privacy we could get. I was really starting to miss having a private office.  
"What's going on?" He asked when we were tucked in a far corner.  
"Can you forge legal documents?"  
He stepped back, folding his arms against his chest. "Who's asking?"  
"Seriously?" Owen hissed. "We are!"  
"For Maisie?"  
Owen and I nodded.  
"What do you need?"  
"Birth Certificate." I whispered. "Can you come over tonight so we can get it done?"  
He nodded.  
I threw my arms around his shoulders. "You don't know how much this means to us."  
He hugged me back. "She deserves happiness and so do you guys. Of course I'll do this."  
"Thank you," Owen said over my shoulder.  
Franklin nodded.  
I let my arms drop back to my sides and we walked back into the office.  
I spend the majority of the day on the phone with Ronnie. She kept me updated on their progress.  
"Hey, Amanda!" I called out as I made my way over to her.  
"Whats up?"  
"I'm going to put you in charge of taking the calls and messages with dinosaur sightings. Immediately send the information over to Ronnie. I'm going to be away for a few days, but I'll have my cell on me."  
"You got it!" She switched to the DPG email and immediately started sorting through the messages.  
I turned to see where Owen went. Not able to keep Maisie out of his sight he set up a desk near Art so Maisie could move between them.  
"Did I hear you are going away?" Wyatt asked.  
I spun around to see he was sitting at a desk, working on our social media pages.  
"Just for a few days. Family related." I told him.  
He noticed I was quickly reading over his response to some comments.  
"Everything look ok?" He asked me.  
"Yeah, thanks for the help." I tried sounding sincere, but I couldn't hide the disgust in my voice.  
"Hey, look, I didn't mean any harm the other night." He said, standing to face me.  
I placed my hand on the desk, and leaned against it. "You just saying that because Owen is across the room?"  
Wyatt snorted, "I'm not afraid of him."  
"You should be."  
My eyes shot down when I realized those words came from Maisie. She had her arms folded against her chest and her eyes narrowed at him.  
I looked up to see Owen still talking to Art and Connor— one of the volunteers. He didn't notice she walked away.  
"I take it back," Wyatt laughed. "Maybe she is yours after all."  
"What did you think?" She snapped.  
I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed, warning her to calm down.  
Wyatt's eyes dropped to my hand on Maisie's shoulder. My left hand. "That's new."  
"Finally got her to say yes." Owen answered, stepping in at my side causing Maisie to be behind him.  
Wyatt smiled. "Didn't think that would happen after Justin."  
"What?" Owen asked, turning his head to look at me.  
Fire burned in my eyes. My face felt hot. I lunged at Wyatt, arms stretched towards his neck. "You bastard!" I screamed. I was no longer in control of my body.  
Owens arms were tight around my waist. He pulled me back before my hands could make contact.  
I struggled against Owen's grasp. "Get the hell out of here!" The tears were hot in my eyes.  
"Whoa, didn't realize you still had pent up feelings for the kid. I'm sorry."  
"Get out!" I screamed so loud my throat burned.  
Art was behind him, dragging him by the back of his shirt.  
I tried following them, but Owen was stronger.  
"Let me go!" I yelled through clenched teeth.  
"Calm down," he spoke softly.  
"Owen, let me go!"  
Again he ignored me.  
Amanda appeared in front of me. "He's not coming back. We will make sure of it."  
"I can't believe he said that!" I refused to let the tears fall.  
"I know," she whispered. "Let's go for a walk."  
I nodded and took her outstretched hand. She used her free hand to tap Owen's arm locked around my waist.  
"I'll make sure she gets home ok." She reassured him.  
I looked back at Owen, his eyes wide in shock as he watched Amanda lead me towards the elevator. Maisie was completely hidden behind him and I knew she was hiding there. I scared her.  
Amanda linked her arm with mine as we walked along the busy sidewalk. I felt that familiar numbness I haven't felt since I was nineteen. The feeling that threw me headfirst into my career.  
We entered a bar I knew well. I came here a few times with Zia after work. Amanda led me over to a quiet spot. For the most part it was empty besides a few men in suites not quite ready to go home after work. We sat down and she ordered for us.  
I didn't know what she ordered, but I obeyed when she instructed me to drink.  
I gagged on the taste, it burned my throat and warmed my stomach.  
"What was that." I coughed.  
"Two more." She told the bartender. "and keep them coming."  
Again I followed her motion and took the second shot. I shuddered at the taste, but it didn't burn as much as before.  
"Better?" She asked.  
I blinked a few times and shook my head. "Why did he say that?" I whispered. "And in front of Owen!"  
"He doesn't know about… Justin?" She hesitated on saying his name.  
I shook my head and took another shot, shuddering at the taste.  
"He didn't even know about the internship."  
Her eyes went wide and she took her shot. "Guess I should have figured as much. I don't know what you went through, but I get it."  
We both threw our heads back taking the fourth shot.  
My head started to spin.  
"He's such an asshole." I grumbled.  
"I'm sorry," Amanda sighed. "He said he wanted to help."  
I shrugged. "S'ok. Where do you think Art took him?"  
Amanda laughed into her shot glass. "Out back probably."  
I laughed, trying not to spit the liquid out of my mouth. "Took him out like trash."  
As the hours went by we lost count on what number we were on, so we just started counting over again.  
"I'm surprised I haven't heard from Owen," I said and tried to focus on my phone screen.  
Amanda waved her phone in the air. "Because he's checking in with me."  
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile, "Of course he is."  
I played with the empty shot glass in front of me. "You think Justin would be head of his own company right now?" I wondered out loud. It felt strange to say his name. It was the first time I spoke of him in fourteen years.  
Amanda shrugged. "Probably." She took a deep breath and threw back another shot.  
I followed.  
"You know," she hiccuped. "It's ok to talk about him. You can't pretend he didn't exist. He'd be proud of you."  
I shrugged unable to answer.  
"Go home, talk to Owen. He deserves to know. Especially now."  
"I will." I promised.  
"Can we close out our tab?" I asked the bartender.  
He shook his head. "A guy called earlier and gave a card number for your tab. It's taken care of."  
"He's definitely a keeper!" Amanda shoved my shoulder.  
"You ladies need a cab?" The bartender asked us when we tried our best to stand up.  
"No," I laughed as Amanda and I held on to each other. "I live that way." I pointed towards the door.  
"Yeah," he nodded. "Everyone lives that way. It's the door."  
"You're smart." I chuckled.  
We stumbled out onto the sidewalk and thankfully I found my apartment on the first try. Realizing Owen had my key I pressed the buzzer that had my name on it.  
"Is he home?" Amanda asked when he didn't answer.  
"He better—" I was cut off by the building door opening. My eyes lit up when Owen was there. Before I realized it I threw myself into his arms.  
"He's here!" I turned to inform Amanda.  
"Hi Owen, see she's here safe. I brought all three of them home." She threw her arms out trying to point at me.  
We both doubled over laughing.  
"Ok," Owen pulled me inside and reached for Amanda. "Upstairs, both of you."  
"No, I have to go." Amanda looked up and down the street.  
"I'll call you a cab, but you need to sober up a little. Maisie is asleep, so we need to go back upstairs."  
We walked as quietly as we could up to my apartment.  
"Sit down." Owen instructed, guiding me towards the couch.  
Amanda followed.  
He brought us over water and leftover pizza he must have ordered for dinner.  
"Eat and I'll call you a cab." He told Amanda. She ate quickly being that we both haven't eaten all day.  
I slumped down on the couch when Owen escorted Amanda out to her cab to make sure she had her address correct.  
He walked back in and sat next to me, his eyebrow raised as he concentrated on my face.  
"What?" I asked.  
"I don't think I've ever seen you this drunk."  
The food in my stomach and the water helped me focus a little better. I leaned into Owen's side and he wrapped his arms around me.  
"Ready to talk about what happened today?" He asked me. "I called Franklin, he will be here in about an hour."  
I nodded, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. His fingertips traced designs on my arm. His calmness gave me the confidence I needed. I was ready to talk about Justin.


	10. Chapter 10

"Who is Justin?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.  
"Was," I corrected.  
His arms tightened around me.  
I pulled at his shoulders until we were laying on the couch facing each other. Taking a few deep breaths, I looked into his eyes.  
He was patient, studying my face.  
"I met him on the plane ride. We were both interning on the island. He was…" I trailed off not sure how to explain my feelings for him.  
Owen tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear and leaned in to kiss my forehead. "It's ok." He reassured me.  
"We liked each other… a lot. He was my first… I loved him." I couldn't fully get the words out, but Owen understood.  
"What happened?" He asked.  
"There was an incident… we shouldn't have been where we were, but he was helping me with some research, and I needed to find Mr. Masrani to inform him of my findings. We should have been in the hotel with the rest of the interns, watching a movie. We saw smoke and went to see what it was. Two interns, siblings—twins, were sneaking around. They ended up opening the raptor paddock, releasing the raptor that was just brought over."  
I felt Owen's breath hitch. He knew where the story was going.  
"I hit the emergency button, locking us in with her. The twins were able to climb a tree and get over the wall. The raptor… she had me in her sights. I tried to run, but ended up tumbling down a hill. I thought I was alone. I thought I was going to die. Justin… he didn't leave me. He saved my life."  
For the first time in years I let myself cry over Justin. Pressing my face into Owen's shirt I continued, "It would have killed me, but because I was closest to the shed, Justin distracted her so I could make it to the shed for weapons." I was sobbing into Owen "I couldn't find him. I tried! It was too late. I stayed with him until he took his last breath. He died in my arms and I couldn't save him."  
"Damn, Claire, I had no idea." His arms loosened around me and I pressed myself into him.  
"Don't," I begged. "please don't let go." I cried.  
His arms tightened again. "I'm right here," he whispered into my hair.  
I let myself cry for Justin for the last time. Owen now knew everything. The weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.  
"Did I scare Maisie?" I asked, sitting up to wipe my tears. I twisted to look at Owen and leaned my side into him.  
"A little, but she was angry." He snorted, and brought his hand up to rub my arm. "Kid has been hanging out with you too much. She's picked up your fiery temper. I think she wanted to go after Wyatt just as much as you did."  
I looked down at Owen's hand on my arm and noticed the swelling. My eyebrows furrowed.  
"You went after him." I grabbed his hand to inspect his swollen knuckles.  
He shrugged.  
"Owen!"  
"I warned him once. This time he crossed a line. Now that I know the whole story I would have done more than break his nose. Ass had it coming to him."  
I leaned over him so our faces were inches apart. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me."  
He reached up to cup my face in his hands. "I will protect you no matter what and I don't care if you like it or not."  
I buried my face in my hands. "Why would you want to marry me? I'm a disaster!"  
His hands still on my face, he gave a slight shake to get me to look at him. "My beautiful disaster." He smiled up at me.  
I leaned down, crushing my lips to his. Many times I have wondered if Justin and I would have made it as a couple. But being in this moment I couldn't picture myself with anyone besides Owen. I loved Justin, he taught me how to fall in love. Owen was my everything. His lips on mine, his hands holding me close to him. I need Owen like I need air to breathe. Finally sharing my past with him, I could feel my heart mending. I could finally let go of Justin. Though a part of me will always love him, Owen is the one I've always been searching for. No matter if Justin was still alive or not, the man holding me against him is the one I was born to be with.  
"I love you," I mumbled against his lips and moved so I could lay comfortably on top of him.  
"I love you too, babe."  
I slid my hand up his shirt and traced his ribs with my fingertips.  
His hand slowly slid under my shirt, his fingers followed my spine until he reached the clasp to my bra.  
"Claire?" Maisie's tired voice fluttered down the hall.  
I jumped off of Owen and he laughed as I stumbled to try and catch myself before falling.  
"I'm coming, Maisie," I hurried towards her room.  
She was sitting up on her bed, her favorite stuffed animal tucked under her arm.  
"What's wrong?" I asked, moving to sit on the edge of her bed.  
"I don't like Wyatt."  
"He's not coming back. You don't have to worry about it." I reassured her.  
She nodded. "Owen said that, too."  
"I'm sorry I got so upset in front of you like that."  
She shrugged. "It's ok."  
"No," I shook my head, "It's not, Maisie. I scared you."  
She crawled onto my lap and wrapped her arm around me. "Wyatt made you upset, it wasn't your fault."  
I kissed her temple and held her tight. "You're a smart kid."  
She yawned and I motioned for her to get back under the covers.  
The door buzzed and I heard Owen talking to Franklin before letting him into the building.  
"Get some sleep. I promise, I'm fine."  
She yawned again, her eyes drooping. "Goodnight, Claire."  
"Goodnight, Maisie." I whispered and closed her door enough to let a thin line of light from the hall shine in.  
Owen was just opening the door for Franklin as I walked into the living room.  
"What a day, huh?" Franklin asked, his eyes watching me cautiously.  
"Everything is fine, Franklin." I grumbled. I was going to have to explain myself to half of the DPG volunteers.  
Owen squeezed my hand reassuringly and kissed my cheek. "Let's have a baby, though it would be more fun to just do it the old fashioned way." he winked and led me into the living room.  
My stomach did flips.  
Franklin sat in the middle of the couch, spreading himself out with his laptop.  
Owen sat on the chair across from Franklin and pulled me down on his lap.  
"You sure this is going to work?" Franklin asked.  
"If we can keep her away from InGen then I'm prepared to try anything. I don't want to even begin to think of what Eli wanted to do with her." I answered.  
Owen brought his hand up and rubbed my back. "We'll keep her safe."  
It took us a few hours to make sure we had a birth certificate that worked. I caught Owen smile when he read over the names on the paper.  
"Maisie Grady." His smile grew when he spoke her new name out loud.  
We did all we could to make her ours. To let her live among others and go to school like a normal kid.  
Now to break the news to my sister. Last she heard Owen and I weren't together anymore. Here I was, getting ready to show up on her doorstep, engaged to Owen and having a nine-year-old kid in tow.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thank you so much for the continued support! I have an amazing friend who just wrote her first JW story! Definitely go check her out. Her story is Jurassic World: Evolution**_

 _ **As always please keep the reviews coming!**_

"Did you leave anything at the store?" Owen asked, jumping off the couch when Maisie and I stumbled through the door, arms full of bags.  
"Well," I sighed, dropping the bags at my feet. Maisie ran off towards her room with her arm load. "someone got a little carried away." I pointed towards Maisie's room and dropped my voice. "She's never stepped foot in a store."  
Before we left to go visit Karen, I had decided to take Maisie shopping for some clothes. She was only able to grab some from her room.  
Owen snorted. "That's going to change real quick if she hangs out with you too long."  
I narrowed my eyes at him and stepped over the bags to go help Maisie pick out what new clothes she wanted to take with us.  
"Did you pack?" I asked, looking over my shoulder.  
"I need to get more stuff from the van." He answered. Following me down the hall and into Maisie's room.  
I spoke as I took clothes from Maisie and packed her bag. "I guess if we hurry up we can go real quick and find a later flight."  
Owen shook his head. "No."  
I stopped packing and looked up at him, confused. "What?"  
"We're not flying." He smiled.  
I knew exactly what he wanted to do. "Owen…" I groaned.  
He flashed his teeth, making Maisie giggle. "Yes."  
"How are we getting there?" Maisie asked.  
"Wait until you see our van!" Owen cheered.  
The one vehicle that ended up tearing us apart and he wanted to get me back into it? Was he crazy?  
"Van?" She questioned.  
Owen nodded. "We will drive there."  
"Oh," Maisie jutted out her bottom lip and looked down at her hands. I knew she was looking forward to flying.  
Owen's eyes snapped up at me. They were wide, he wasn't sure what he said wrong.  
"She's never been on a plane." I answered his unasked question.  
"We'll go on an airplane at some point. I want to show you some of mine and Claire's favorite camping spots." He informed her.  
I smiled as memories flashed through my mind. Driving from California to Wisconsin was a route we took often. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago.  
Owen's arms snaked around my waist, pulling my back flush against his chest. His lips against my ear, sending shivers down my spine, "You know what's on the way?"  
"No?" It was a question. I had no idea what he was thinking about.  
"Vegas," he dipped head, moving his mouth from my ear to my neck. "We can be married before we go see your sister."  
My throat went dry, the ring on my finger felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. I slipped out of Owen's arms, stepping around Maisie, I wanted her between us.  
"Really?" Maisie's eyes lit up, matching Owen's.  
I wasn't ready for that step quite yet. Karen would be devastated. It wasn't until I noticed Owen's smile fade that I realized I was shaking my head.  
"Oh!" I said quickly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "No, Owen. It's just I don't want to do it without Karen. She'd never forgive me. Plus she doesn't even know we are back together yet. Dropping the news of Maisie, you and I and then adding we got married on the way will be a little too much."  
His face softened and I sighed. He understood.  
"You think she'll like me?" Maisie asked, looking from Owen to me.  
I smiled down at her. "She will. And she's got two boys, my nephews, Gray is fifteen and Zach is nineteen."  
"Who will they be to me?" She wondered.  
"My sister would be your aunt and the boys, your cousins." I informed her.  
She raised an eyebrow, confused. My heart broke. She had no sense of family dynamics.  
Owen met my eyes and he was feeling the same thing I was.  
We finished packing in silence and drove towards Owen's property. This would be the first time Maisie has ever seen the unfinished cabin which would be our home. Seeing the cabin only once, I didn't have the same feelings towards it as I do now. I had no idea he was building it in the hopes I would come back.  
"Wow!" Maisie gasped as Owen pulled my car into the dirt driveway.  
"What do you think?" Owen asked excitedly, glancing over his shoulder to look at her.  
"It's so pretty!" She exclaimed. "Can I go see the lake?" She asked, already opening her door.  
"Only a few minutes. We need to get going." I called after her.  
Owen met me around the front of the car, taking my hand, he led me towards the cabin.  
We stopped in front of a table with a small model of the cabin.  
"Will this be it?" I asked, bending my knees so my eyes were level with the small model.  
Owen hummed, bending over me. "The addition will be over here." he pointed towards the side of the house where the living room will be. "The top floor will be a loft area. It won't be listed as a room, but if we ever decide to have kids of our own Maisie could have a teenage room up there."  
I lifted my chin to look up at him. "You really thought of everything."  
He leaned down to kiss me. "I was going to get you back one way or another."  
I stood slowly, trying to ignore the pain in my leg.  
Owen caught the pain on my face and was quick to help me.  
"We should get going." I said, looking up at the darkening sky.  
Owen nodded. "We'll drive for a few hours and then stop for the night."  
We called for Maisie after we loaded our luggage into the van. She sprinted towards the van and Owen took off to try and race her. I laughed as I watched them.  
"Hey!" Owen called out as I reached for the passenger's side door.  
I turned just as he threw something at me. Catching the keys I looked from them to him, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.  
Owen smiled, pride gleaming in his eyes which confused me further.  
"After the way you drove that truck with Franklin and I in the back, onto the boat, you earned the right to drive the van."  
"Really?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. "That's all it took?" I rolled my eyes.  
He shrugged, flashing me my favorite crooked smile.  
Maisie settled in the back excited at the fact that our current home was on wheels.  
If it wasn't for my stitches I would have ran around the van to jump in the drivers seat. I decided on trying to play it cool even though Owen was studying my every move to try and catch my excitement.  
We drove for a few hours as planned. Though I wanted to keep driving, it was getting harder to keep my eyes open. Maisie had her bed made up already and was asleep. Owen snored lightly, his head against his window.  
I pulled into one of the campsites Owen and I knew well.  
Owen jumped when he felt me turn the van off. "Where are we?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.  
"We'll stay here for the night." I said, stretching in my seat.  
He turned to see where Maisie was and smiled. "Looks like she's out for the night."  
Getting up from my seat I stepped in the back for the first time in a year. The only thing that looked different was the fact that there was a kid sleeping on the table that dropped down to a bed.  
Owen followed me silently back to the bedroom. Memories filled my head. Happy memories of us finally free from Jurassic World. We ran away like lovestruck teenagers escaping the chains of our overprotective parents.  
It was in this van we learned everything we could about each other. Nights where we talked until the sun came up and then Owen would hang up the hammock and we'd sleep the day away under the warm sun, tangled in each other's limbs. Other nights we would be lost in each other's bodies, devouring all we could of the other.  
I brought my eyes to the bed where the nightmares began for both of us. One of us would wake up shaking and sweaty, immediately getting lost in the other's arms. Kisses of reassurance of the other being there turned into desires to feel as close as we could possibly get.  
The van also held memories that weren't so good. It brought us to the end. The arguing over dominance, the fact that I couldn't ever drive the van because it was a 'man's job'. That didn't go over well with me. This van was the beginning of something beautiful and the end.  
Now here I was back in the van, Owen's hand flat against the small of my back. We were stronger now than we were before. We held a deeper love for the other, a love that would never be broken again.  
I spun in Owen's arms and crushed my lips against his.  
His arms locked around me.  
"Owen," I panted against his lips. "we can't…" I trailed off when he kissed me again.  
He broke the kiss, dropping his lips to my neck. "I'll grab the blankets and start a fire. You get changed." His voice was muffled against my skin.  
I smiled, reaching between us and gripping the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head.  
Owen's eyes darkened and he reached for me, pressing his body against mine. His hands slid up my spine and quickly unhooked my bra, letting it fall to our feet. At the same time I reached for the hem of his shirt and tugged it off. He knew what I was doing and he stepped back as I slipped his shirt over my head.  
"Don't take too long." He hissed in my ear and spun to move quickly through the van, gathering supplies for a night under the stars.  
Wearing only Owen's shirt, I grabbed the comforter off the bed to cover myself as I slipped by Maisie, now snoring softly in her bed.  
The night air was cool, but I could feel the heat of the fire as soon as I stepped outside.  
Owen was already there, sitting on the blanket with his hands stretched behind him, propping him up. The orange glow from the fire reflected off his bare chest.  
I let my blanket fall to my feet and reached for the one that was draped over Owen's legs.  
Straddling his thighs I brought the blanket up, wrapping it around both our shoulders. We were quickly lost in each other's desires.


	12. Chapter 12

The sun shone bright in the window. I always hated the fact that there was a window on either side of the bed, so no matter what the early morning sun was directly in my eyes.  
"Owen," I grumbled, pulling the blanket over my head, "where did the curtains go that I got?" I knew it's been a year since I slept in this bed, but the last time I was here this room was never this bright in the morning.  
His snoring made it clear he didn't hear me.  
"Owen!" I said louder, reaching out from under the blanket to shove his shoulder.  
"What's wrong?" He sat up quickly. I felt him moving around when he didn't see me hiding under the blanket. "Claire?" The blanket was removed from over my head. "Did you say my name?"  
"Yes," I snapped, grabbing the blanket out of his hand to hide from the light again. "Where are my curtains?"  
"Oh," Owen gave an uneasy laugh. "Those…" he trailed off.  
I pulled the blanket down so he could see me narrowing my eyes at him.  
He shrugged. "I was mad and they reminded me too much of you. I needed something to start a fire."  
I flipped the blanket off my face, glaring at him. "You burned them?!" I shrieked, trying to keep my voice low so I wouldn't wake Maisie.  
"It was only you that wanted them in here in the first place. I don't mind the light."  
I rolled over so my back was facing him and pulled the blanket back over my head. "You're buying new ones or we get a hotel room tonight."  
"Fine," he huffed and got out of bed. "I'll make some coffee, you're grouchy."  
I got up and put my robe on since I was still in Owen's shirt from last night. Luckily it was darker in the main part of the van, so Maisie's little bed was free of the morning sun. She still slept soundly.  
While Owen moved quietly around the kitchenette making the coffee, I grabbed my phone and slipped outside to sit on the steps to wait for him.  
I searched for my sister's name in my contacts and pushed the call button.  
"Hey, Claire!" She answered on the second ring.  
"Hey, you guys have any plans the next few days?" I asked.  
"No, why?"  
I bit my lip trying to figure out what I should say.  
"Hey, I have a question." She continued not waiting for my answer to her first question.  
"Ok…" I said slowly.  
"What's going on with all these dinosaur sightings? And why haven't you called me back?"  
"I'm coming to visit… with Owen. We'll be there in a day or so. I'll explain it all then." I waited as I heard her breath hitch.  
"Wait," she paused as she thought about what I said. "Owen?"  
I took a deep breath. "Yes."  
"You're back together? How? When?"  
"Karen, I'll explain when we get there."  
"Yes you will. I'll tell the boys you're coming. Zack will probably want to come home for the weekend."  
"How is he liking college life?" I asked, trying to change the subject.  
"Oh, he loves it. Big man on campus. He brings a new girl home every time he comes back!"  
I laughed, "Sounds about right." I rolled my eyes remembering the freshmen guys were always on the prowl. Freedom going straight to their head.  
Owen stepped out of the van and handed me my mug as he sat beside me.  
"We'll see you soon." I said and took a sip of my coffee.  
"Looking forward to it. Got a few things I'd like to say to Owen." She sighed.  
I knew that tone. I was going to get an earful as soon as we pulled in the driveway. Apparently so was Owen.  
"Karen…" I started, but it was no use arguing with her.  
"Bye!" She said quickly and hung up.  
"Ugh!" I grumbled and sat my phone down between Owen and I.  
"Told her we were coming?" He asked, looking out into the woods ahead of us.  
I nodded. "Yeah, and apparently she's not too happy with us."  
He turned his head to look at me. "Us?"  
"I stayed with her after we split up. We didn't talk too highly of you… I was mad." I leaned towards him, nudging him with my shoulder. "You know, like when you burned the curtains I picked out."  
"Should be a fun visit." He smiled and winked at me.  
"Don't, Owen!" I wined.  
"Don't what?"  
"Be a jerk."  
"When have I ever been a jerk?"  
I leaned away from him, raising an eyebrow. "Shall I recite the list in alphabetical or chronological order?"  
Owen opened his mouth to speak, but Maisie giggling behind us made him turn in her direction.  
"What are you laughing at?" He asked her, pulling her down onto his lap.  
"You guys are funny."  
"You think I'm a jerk?"  
She shrugged and turned her head to wink at me. "You did burn her curtains."  
"Ha!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. "She's on my side!"  
He acted as if he was hurt by her choice to take my side and shoved her off his lap. She laughed and leaned into my side.  
"We're having a baby and I want a boy. No way am I going to be outnumbered."  
I snorted. "Good luck on that one, Grady."  
I stepped around him to follow Maisie into the van. He reached up my robe as I walked by and pinched my inner thigh. "Try me, Dearing."  
"Stop that!" I hissed, slapping his hand away.  
He laughed loudly, getting up to follow me inside. "Who's hungry?" He called out.  
"Me!" Maisie jumped around.  
"Cereal for all." Owen said cheerfully. He opened the cabinet that had two different choices.  
Maisie and I turned her bed back into a table while Owen poured the cereal we chose into bowls.  
"I'm going to shower and then we can get going." I said, finished up the breakfast dishes while Maisie dried them.  
As soon as all of us were dressed and ready to go, Owen quickly claimed the drivers seat. Knew that wasn't going to last long.  
Maisie set herself up with a movie in the back and we set off heading East.  
The day's drive was exciting. Owen taught Maisie some fun road trip games.  
They were currently twenty states in playing the license plate game.  
I switched places with Maisie while I made sandwiches for lunch, so we didn't have to stop.  
She sat in the passenger's seat, bouncing excitedly as her and Owen called out whatever state they saw on a license plate. I had given Maisie a blank map of the United States to fill in each state they saw. It was a test on my end, but she didn't realize it.  
She mentioned that Iris homeschooled her, but she wanted to go to public school. I wanted to make sure she would be able to handle the material.  
I handed Owen his sandwich while he drove and Maisie followed me back to the table to eat hers.  
"This is so much fun!" Maisie exclaimed.  
"Do you know what state we are in right now?" I asked her, taking a bite of my sandwich.  
"Yup," she popped her lips on the 'p' "Colorado!" She pointed to the state on her map. "There's a ton of license plates right now from here.  
I nodded.  
"Do you know the capital of the state?"  
She nodded, taking another bite of her sandwich. "Denver." She answered without having to think about it.  
I smiled at her. "That's right."  
I pointed to the east coast since there weren't many filled in yet. "You know what state this is?"  
"New York."  
"Capital?"  
"Albany…" She trailed off, looking up at me from the map. "Are you testing me?"  
Owen laughed and glanced quickly over his shoulder. "Busted!"  
I ignored Owen and studied Maisie's face. "I just want to see if you'd be able to keep up with the other kids your age."  
Maisie smirked and looked back down at her map. I had challenged her and she was going to prove herself. I smiled at that. It was a trait I knew well.  
She quickly pointed to each state on the map giving me the name and capital.  
"That's excellent!" I told her when she was finished.  
I got up to search in my bag for the packet I had put together for her. It was a placement test Franklin printed for me.  
Sliding the packet in front of her she glanced down at it. "Do I have to do this?"  
I nodded, sitting back down across from her. "If you want to go to public school."  
"Can I finish my game with Owen first?"  
"Go ahead."  
She jumped from the table and ran back to the passenger's seat.  
I cleaned up from lunch and curled up on the small couch with one of my favorite books. Listening to Owen and Maisie go back and forth in the front I smiled to myself. This was something I could easily get used to. The three of us slowly falling into place as a family. As quickly as Maisie's nightmares started, they ended just as fast. She felt safe.  
I struggled to keep my eyes open as I listened to them in search of ten more states to finish their map. Grabbing the blanket Maisie had folded up from her bed, I quickly fell asleep.

 _ ****Please review** It means a lot! Thanks for all the support!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Lot's going on in this chapter! I hope everyone likes where this story is going! I've got so much planned for this story! Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep writing!**_

"Wake up, sleepy-head!" I could feel Maisie poking my forehead.  
"Why?" I grumbled and rolled to my other side so I was facing the back of the couch.  
Maisie giggled.  
"Told you waking her up was a bad idea." I heard Owen in our room.  
I blinked a few times realizing we weren't driving anymore.  
"Where are we?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.  
"Kansas." Maisie informed me. "We stopped to go eat dinner and get curtains."  
"Yeah," Owen huffed, "she wouldn't stop reminding me." He pulled his sweatshirt over his head and handed Maisie hers.  
I twisted to look out the window behind the couch and realized it was dark outside. Did I really just sleep most of the day?  
"Give me a minute." I said and stood up to head to the bathroom to freshen up.  
We were able to slip in and out of the store without anyone trying to talk to us. There were a few glances in our direction, but we weren't bothered.  
Walking down the street we found a small diner and settled on that for dinner.  
We stopped at a grocery store and picked up ingredients to make s'mores. Maisie bounced with excitement the whole way back to the van.  
"Are we at the campsite yet?" She asked, sitting on the couch.  
"Five minutes, kid." Owen answered her.  
As soon as Owen parked, Maisie burst through the door. It was hard to believe a nine-year-old has never sat in front of a campfire or had a s'more.  
"Hold up, Maisie!" Owen called after her. "Not too far! It's dark!"  
I gathered up blankets for us to sit on. Maisie and I laid them out as Owen worked on starting the fire.  
"This is so cool!" Maisie screeched as she watched the embers from the fire float through the air.  
"Want to find the perfect marshmallow stick?" Owen asked, holding his hand out to help her to her feet.  
"Yes!" She cheered.  
He handed her a flashlight and put me in charge of watching the fire while they set off in search for the sticks.  
They came back a few minutes later with three sticks in hand.  
Maisie settled between Owen and I as we helped her roast her first marshmallow.  
Feeling the need to capture the moment I stepped away and grabbed my phone to take pictures. It was time she had her own memories to look back on than the photo album she had of a completely different girl. My favorite shot of the night was Maisie with a sticky grin that lit up her entire face.  
"Can I see the pictures you took?" Maisie asked when I finally got her cleaned up and tucked into bed.  
"Of course," I told her, handing her my phone.  
She smiled down at the phone with tears in her eyes.  
I sat beside her on the bed, alarmed by her tears. "Honey, what's wrong?"  
She shook her head. "Nothing…" she trailed off as she flipped through the pictures again.  
I looked up at Owen who was watching her as intently as I was.  
"It's just…" she pointed to the happy girl in Owen's arms, "that's me." She whispered, looking up at me.  
I smiled down at her, blinking away my own tears. "Yes," I sighed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "We'll take some pictures every day while we are on this trip and we can make a new photo album."  
"I'd like that." She whispered and wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you, Mom." Her voice was so low I almost didn't hear her.  
I held my breath to try and keep the sob from escaping. It didn't work and I held her tight. It wasn't until she spoke the word that I realized just how much I wanted to hear it. I remember the first time Zach blurted out 'Mama' to Karen and pride shone in her eyes. I was pretty sure this is how she felt.  
I leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, sweetheart, I'm your mom."  
I looked up and realized Owen wasn't standing there anymore. He stepped away letting us have this moment to ourselves.  
Wiping my cheeks dry I stood up and tucked her in. She went to hand me my phone back and I pushed it away and back towards her. "Hold onto it for me tonight."  
She nodded and rolled onto her side flipping through the pictures once more.  
I shut the door to our room and Owen was laying on the bed watching me. Crawling up the bed until I was at his side, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  
He laughed lightly, bringing his lips to my temple. "Hey there, Mom."  
"I can't believe that happened. I never even thought about her calling us mom and dad." I whispered.  
"She's happy." He sighed.  
"I'm happy." I said, pressing myself into his side.  
"Me too." He tightened his arms around me.  
We fell asleep with matching smiles.  
"Daddy!" The screams made my skin crawl. I looked at Owen and he stood up on the bed, leaping over me to get to the door quicker.  
I got up to follow.  
"Please!" Maisie cried in her sleep.  
Owen threw me a concerned look before reaching for Maisie's shoulders to try and stop her from thrashing around.  
"Dad…" She whimpered.  
He looked up at me again.  
"Wake her up!" I hissed.  
"Maisie," he said softly.  
She fought against his hands on her shoulders. "I want my dad!" She yelled.  
"Maisie," He shook her shoulders lightly. "I'm," he swallowed hard and looked at me once more.  
I nodded. "She's calling for you."  
With tears in his eyes he looked back down at her. "I'm right here, Mais."  
She opened her mouth and cried.  
"Maisie, open your eyes. I'm right here." He said louder and swept a strand of hair off her sweaty forehead.  
"Dad?" She whimpered, her body relaxing.  
"Open your eyes. You're having a nightmare." He coaxed her and swiped his hand over her forehead again.  
Her eyes shot open and she gripped his arms. She sprung up and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
"What happened?" He asked, rubbing small circles on her back. "You're shaking!"  
"Mr. Mills. He wouldn't let you take me. His men held you guys back while he took me away from you. He said I can't have a family. You were calling for me, but he took me away." She sobbed uncontrollably into his neck.  
He pulled her onto his lap so he could hold her closer to him. "No one will ever take you away from us. We'd fight like hell for you, kiddo. Especially when you call me dad."  
She sniffed and leaned back so she could see his face. "I did?" She asked, smiling slightly.  
He nodded. "In your sleep."  
"And you came for me?"  
He raised an eyebrow. "Of course! I will always be here. This is what dad's do. We chase away bad dreams and teenage boys."  
This made her giggle and my shoulders relaxed. Now it was my turn to silently step away to give them their moment.  
Owen came back to bed with a smile the matched mine earlier. "She's back to sleep."  
I sighed and curled into his side. "Her nightmares were gone." I whispered.  
"It wasn't dinosaur related. She's afraid she doesn't deserve parents. If Eli wasn't already dead I'd find the bastard myself and kill him. It's bad enough he wanted you dead."  
I stiffened realizing I was keeping one small detail from him. "He did more than that."  
He sat up to look at me. "Did he hurt you?" His eyes searched the dark room as he tried to remember a moment he may have missed. "I was with you the whole time…"  
I sat up so our eyes were level. "I met with him the day before we left for the island. I was at the estate."  
His eyebrow raised. "Alone?"  
I nodded.  
His fingers curled into fists.  
"He talked to me about helping to save the dinosaurs." I looked down at my hands, "I was excited he wanted to help. We talked about the DPG he seemed so interested in me…" I trailed off when I heard the growl vibrate Owen's chest.  
"Did he threaten you?" He asked through clenched teeth.  
I shook my head, hiding my face in my hands. "He kissed me."  
"What?" Owen yelled, jumping out of bed and pacing the floor.  
I refused to look at him. "He walked me out after our meeting and it just happened."  
"That's real good." He grumbled. "I'm building you a cabin and you're off sleeping with the enemy!"  
I jumped to my feet and stepped in his path. "I didn't sleep with him! It was a kiss. That's all! I didn't know he was the enemy! How was I supposed to know he was using me? You think it doesn't make me feel disgusting?"  
"You kissed another man." His voice was a whisper. He was hurt.  
"We weren't together! I regretted it as soon as it happened. I haven't… I didn't… there hasn't been…" I couldn't find the right words. I took a deep breath and tried again. "You are the only man I've slept with in the last three years. There hasn't been anyone else since we split up."  
He threw me a crooked smile. "Cuz I'm that good, right?"  
I rolled my eyes. "You're impossible."  
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You kissed him?" He huffed.  
I rolled my eyes. "Let it go. He's dead. Whichever dinosaur got him the only thing left is a leg. He got what he deserved."  
"Yeah," he snorted. "I hope it was Blue that got him. At least if it was her that killed him I'd feel like I got some sort of revenge."  
I stepped towards him, wrapping my arms around his center. "You've got me." I pointed out.  
He brought his lips to my neck and I closed my eyes.  
"Yeah I do." he mumbled against my skin.  
I placed my hands on his shoulders and backed him up until the back of his legs hit the bed, making him sit down. I straddled his legs and he grabbed my hips.  
"I love you," I sighed.  
He brought his lips to mine hungrily. His arms locked around me as he laid down, bringing me with him.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning we were on the road again. I sat silently on the passengers seat, fiddling with the hem of my shirt.  
Owen reached over to grab my hand. "Relax, it's just your sister."  
We crossed the Wisconsin state line and my heart hammered against my ribs.  
"Yeah," I snorted. "We're introducing her to her nine-year-old niece."  
Maisie sat at the table unfazed by our conversation. She discovered she could take a selfie and was currently using up the rest of the memory on my phone.  
Owen glanced at her quickly and chuckled. "I think we need to get her a camera."  
I nodded in agreement.  
"How's that packet coming along?" I called back to her.  
She quickly put my phone down and picked up her pencil again.  
I rolled my eyes and got up to go sit with her. "Have any questions?"  
She shook her head. "No, it's pretty easy so far."  
I looked over her work and smiled. She was right on par with kids her age. She was even more advanced in some things. She will be just fine entering public school.  
"Maisie," I started, taking the packet from her. "I can homeschool you if you want. I know public school right now will be a lot of pressure…" I trailed off when she shook her head.  
"I want to go. I've always wanted to go, but Grandpa and Iris always had an excuse. I guess the real reason was that I didn't exist."  
I bit my bottom lip, catching Owen's eyes in the rearview mirror. "We'll make it happen."  
"Thanks!" She said excitedly. Her eyes dropped to the packet in my hands. "Do I have to finish that?"  
I folded it up and put it back in my bag. "No you're done. I got what I wanted." I winked at her.  
She giggled and reached for my phone again. I watched her get up and walk around the table to sit beside me.  
"I have pictures with Ow—Dad and I, but none of us."  
She pressed her cheek against mine and we smiled into the camera.  
"Can we get some of these printed out while we are visiting your sister?"  
I nodded. "There's a place in town we can go. We'll get stuff for you to make some albums so you have something to do on the way home."  
"Cool!" She cheered.  
I caught her eye the album she had hidden under her pillow that was on the couch.  
"You can still keep that one." I said softly. "It's a part of you."  
She got up and I held my breath as she brought it over to me. Owen and I haven't seen it or even asked to look.  
She flipped open to the first page where a cheeky baby smiled up at a very young Mr. Lockwood. I wiped the tears from her eyes as she flipped through the pages. The little girl in the photos slowly grew up to look identical to Maisie.  
"Stop." I told her when the girl in the pictures mirrored the one sitting beside me. I placed my hand over the girls face in the picture.  
"That's not you. That's not who you need to try and be." I grabbed my phone and removed my hand from the picture. "Look," I pointed out. "The girl in this picture is Maisie Lockwood. Prim and proper in every photo and probably had that perfect english accent." I laughed lightly when I pointed to the picture on my phone of Maisie sticking her tongue out and her eyes were crossed. "This is Maisie Grady. Goofy and happy and who was quick to drop the accent. I see no resemblance."  
She looked up at me and smiled. "I don't either."  
"That a girl," I sighed, hugging her tight.  
She took a deep breath and I watched her turn to the last page. I took the book from her and slammed it shut.  
"Owen pull over," I panted, gripping my chest. I couldn't stop the tears from spilling over. I wanted to scream. It felt like someone strong punched me in the gut.  
My motions startled Maisie and she jumped to her feet, wobbling slightly when Owen swerved quickly, throwing the van in park.  
"It doesn't upset me anymore!" Maisie yelled, but her voice sounded far away.  
My heartbeat pounded in my ears. My blood boiled.  
"Claire!" Owen's voice was louder. I felt his hands clasp hard on my upper arms.  
"He kept her memorial card! He had something amazing right in front of him, but he still couldn't let go. Why did he need to keep all that when she was right in front of him!" I was angry. I wanted so bad to go back in time until the moment my Maisie was born in the lab and take her. I wanted to give her the life she deserved from the beginning. Not a life where she was compared to Lockwood's daughter. It wasn't fair!  
Owen kept his hands locked on my arms, but his eyes dropped to the photo album and then he looked at Maisie.  
"It scared me at first. I didn't actually see it until I was looking through the album in the car when we left grandpa's house."  
I stepped around Owen to open the door. I needed air.  
"She's mad." I heard Maisie say when I stepped outside and paced outside the van.  
"She gets passionate about things she cares about." He told her.  
They were silent for a few minutes and I slowed my movement. I stopped walking when Maisie stepped out of the van. The memorial card in her hands. She raised her hand and held the card out towards me.  
"Here." She said, smiling.  
"I don't want that." I stepped away from her.  
She giggled. "I know. Rip it up."  
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"  
"You said it before. This is Maisie Lockwood. A complete stranger to me. Rip it up." She shoved it towards me again.  
I took the card from her hands and ripped it down the middle.  
"I'm so sorry you had to grow up this way. I wish I could change it all." I tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.  
She shook her head. "Don't you see?" She smiled and threw her arms around my waist. "You did change it! You guys took me with you. I've got everything I've ever dreamed of."  
"Hey," I whispered, cupping her face in my hands. "Thank you for that."  
She shrugged. "Did I earn the worlds best daughter title?"  
I laughed as I took her hand. "Now you're starting to sound like your father."  
She giggled as she skipped at my side back to the van.  
She liked the way that sounded just as much as I liked saying it.  
I looked up and noticed Owen leaning against the doorframe. Maisie slipped around him and he smiled at me.  
"Don't say a word." I groaned.  
"I pity the kid who tries to start anything with her in school. Those poor parents don't stand a chance with you."  
I lightly punched his stomach as I tried walking by him to get in the van.  
He laughed and wrapped his hand around my wrist. His lips touched my forehead lightly and his face fell serious. "You ok?"  
I nodded and gave his lips a light peck. "I'm fine. It just freaked me out."  
"I know," he brought his hands up to squeeze the tension from my shoulders. "We've got about half hour left. Let's get this over with."  
I sighed heavily and sat down on the couch beside Maisie.  
"Can I sit up front for a little while?" Maisie asked, bouncing next to me.  
I waved her on and slumped over trying to prepare myself to talk to my sister.


	15. Chapter 15

"We're here!" Maisie cheered when we pulled into the driveway.  
Owen reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt. He grabbed her arm to pull her to the floor. "Karen is on the porch."  
I jumped up and helped Maisie sit on the couch. "Stay here until we talk to her."  
Maisie nodded and leaned back to make herself comfortable.  
"Claire Bear!" Karen said cheerfully as she shoved by Owen to hug me.  
"Hi Karen." He said with a smug smile. "Miss me?"  
I glared at him over her shoulder.  
"Owen!" Gray ran from the house and threw his arms around him.  
Karen held me away from her at arms length and stared at me. "What's going on?"  
"We need to talk, but I need you to keep an open mind."  
She nodded slowly.  
I purposely brought my left hand up and tuck my hair behind my ear.  
Her eyes immediately went to my ring. "You're getting married?" She shrieked jumping away from me.  
"We are," I nodded towards Owen.  
"Wait… when did you get back together?"  
I shrugged. "A few days ago?" I didn't mean for it to come out sounding like a question.  
She raised an eyebrow at me. Her eyes dropped to my stomach. "You're pregnant." She stated.  
I shook my head. "No… not exactly."  
"Not exactly?" She repeated.  
"Open mind, please." I reminded her.  
"I'm trying."  
I looked at Owen and he moved towards the van. Karen watched him enter the van and then came back out with Maisie shyly standing behind him.  
"Oh," Karen gasped, trying to look around Owen. "Who's this?"  
Owen struggled for a moment to try and get Maisie to step out from behind him.  
"This is Maisie." I smiled and held my hand out towards her.  
She took it and pressed herself into my side.  
Karen studied Maisie's motions with tears slowly forming in her eyes.  
"How did this happen?" She whispered.  
I looked around at the empty yard and nodded towards the house. "Can we go inside?"  
Gray fell in step beside Maisie and I.  
"Hey," He smiled down at her. "I'm Gray."  
"Maisie," she whispered, pressing her cheek against my side.  
"Gray, can you show Maisie your dinosaur collection?" I asked him once we were inside.  
"Oh, yeah." He smiled at Maisie.  
She loosened her arms around my waist, but didn't let go.  
I removed her arms from around me and knelt down so our eyes were level. "Gray has a ton of cool stuff in his room. He's very smart and loves to do different experiments. I'm sure he will show you some."  
Her eyes lit up and she smiled at Gray.  
I gave her a light push in his direction and she followed him up the stairs.  
Owen inched away from me and I narrowed my eyes at him.  
"No…" I said slowly. He was going to abandon me.  
"I just…" he pointed up the stairs. "I'm gonna…" He clapped his hand on my back. "Bye." He said quickly and turned to run up the stairs to follow the kids.  
"Coward!" I yelled after him.  
I turned slowly to meet my sister's glare. Her arms were tight against her chest.  
"Coffee or wine?" She asked me.  
"Wine." I sighed and followed her into the kitchen.  
She poured two glasses and I took mine immediately. She eyed me as I took a large sip.  
"Where did Maisie come from?"  
I snorted lifting the glass to my lips again. "That's a complicated question."  
"Ok," She took a deep breath "open mind. I've got it. Start from the beginning. Where have you been the last few days? The news is going crazy with dinosaur sightings."  
I shoved my empty glass in her direction and she refilled it. Looking down at my hands I spoke quickly, shutting my eyes so I don't have to see the look on her face. "Owen and I… we went back to the island on a rescue mission."  
"Claire!" She yelled through clenched teeth.  
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and kept going. "We were tricked. The mission wasn't to capture and relocate the dinosaurs to another island. They brought them to California. They were auctioning them off. We stopped the auction but it ended up giving us no choice but to set them free."  
"Oh my God," Karen gasped.  
"Maisie was there… she's… different." I blinked a few times and finally looked at my sister.  
She was crying. "What do you mean, different?"  
"She's a clone of the late daughter of Benjamin Lockwood." My voice was a whisper.  
"I don't understand. Why do you have her?"  
"Mr. Lockwood passed away during this whole ordeal. He left her to me to keep her out of the hands of InGen. So I may not be pregnant, but you are an aunt."  
She dropped her head in her hands and fisted her hair. It was a few minutes before she looked back up at me. "You went back to that island?"  
I snorted. "That's all you got out of this conversation?"  
"You could have been killed!"  
I shuddered at the memories. My throat burned as I remembered choking on salt water. The gash on my leg throbbed. That was information she will never know.  
"No," I shook my head. "Owen never left my side."  
"Ok," she sighed. "He's back on my good side then."  
She reached across the counter and took my hands in hers. "Do you know how difficult it is to raise a child?"  
I looked down at our hands. "I'm beginning to realize that, but I don't care. Owen and I will do this together. I'm not giving her up."  
"Wow," Karen sighed and walked around the counter to where I was standing. Her arms wrapped around me and I hugged her back. "I can't believe you're technically a mom now. That's…" She shook her head and cupped my face in her hands. "and you're getting married!" She squealed, dropping her hands to take mine in hers to look closer at my ring. "Did he pick this out on his own?"  
I nodded. "I honestly had no idea. Supposedly he got it before we split up and held onto it."  
"You two weren't necessarily on the same page a year ago. What changed?"  
I smiled and shrugged. "There was a lot we went through the last few days. We kind of realized just how much we need each other. This time…" I trailed off not able to stop my smile from growing. "This time is different. I feel different."  
She nodded in agreement. "You look different. I don't think I've ever seen you so relaxed."  
I took another sip of my wine and shrugged.  
She laughed and followed my motion.  
"Where's Zach?" I asked.  
Karen rolled her eyes. "He will be here later on. He says he was studying. I'll believe that when he actually gets a decent grade."  
I laughed.  
"Is it safe?" Owen asked from around the corner.  
"Yes!" Karen called out. "Don't worry, I forgive you."  
"Did you show her the papers?" He asked stepping at my side.  
I shook my head.  
"Papers?" Karen asked.  
"You didn't tell her?" Owen mumbled.  
I shook my head again.  
"There's more?" She slammed her glass down on the counter. "What else is there?"  
Owen spun on his heels and walked out the door. I made a mental note to kill him later.  
I turned slowly to look back at my sister. "There's one more small detail."  
"About?"  
"Maisie."  
"Oh, Claire." Karen grabbed her glass and I followed her into the living room where she threw herself on the couch.  
Owen came back in with my bag and I snatched it out of his hands. Before he could back away I grabbed his shirt and shoved him into a chair.  
"You're turn." I told him and moved to sit on the arm of the chair because I knew if I sat anywhere else he'd leave me alone again.  
"Ok," he sighed "We created an identity for Maisie. She's our daughter."  
"How?" Karen asked.  
I handed her the papers and she looked them over. "Grady?" She raised an eyebrow.  
We both nodded.  
"Wait, so according to this you gave birth to her. You guys weren't even together until three years ago!"  
Owen chuckled. "Apparently I knocked her up when I came to the island to check on the progress of the first group of raptors. That was a little over nine years ago."  
Karen threw her head back in a fit of laughter. "Claire you have never been that easy!"  
I shrugged. "I know, but it's the only way."  
We explained further how Maisie would have grown up and Karen agreed it all made sense. Thankfully the paperwork we had would be more than enough to at least get her enrolled in school without any questions asked. Nothing was going to stand in the way of Maisie finally being a normal kid.

 _ **Keep those reviews coming!**_


	16. Chapter 16

We didn't stay at my sister's house very long. I wanted to get back to the DPG and Owen was itching to check on things with Ronnie.  
Karen hugged me tight. "Please be safe out there. It's not just you, you have to worry about now."  
"I know," I said and kissed her cheek. "Strictly desk work." I promised.  
"Good," she sighed and turned towards Maisie. "It was so nice to meet you, Maisie. You're in good hands."  
Maisie smiled and squeezed Owen's hand. "I know."  
Karen brought her hand up, pointing at Owen. "Hurt her again and I will hunt you down."  
Owen pressed his lips in a tight line to try and not laugh. "Will do, Karen."  
"I better have some wedding information soon!" She called after us as we climbed into the van. I waved out the door to let her know I heard her.  
"I can stop on our way home." Owen suggested when I settled in the passengers seat.  
"Owen," I warned.  
"I know!" He laughed. "Just like watching you squirm." He reached over and poked my side.  
I swatted his hand away.  
I peeked over my shoulder to see Maisie was already at work, spreading the pictures we printed out across the table. The purple photo album she chose was pushed aside as she sorted the pictures the way she wanted.  
There were pictures we added of her, Zach and Gray. Maisie's new favorite picture was one that Karen took of the three of us. We were sitting on the couch, Owen between Maisie and I. Both of us curled into his side. The three of us sporting matching grins on our faces. As a surprise I had that one blown up so she could hang it up on the wall.  
"I want to get some work done on the cabin this week." Owen's voice pulled me from my thoughts.  
I looked away from Maisie and smiled at Owen. "Sounds like a good idea."  
"You can work from your laptop."  
I shook my head. "I need to be at the office. Why don't you and Maisie stay at the cabin and I'll check on things at the DPG and head over in a day or two."  
"If that's what you want." Owen sighed. I loved how he didn't hide his disappointment knowing we would be apart for a little while.  
"It's not what I want, but if you want to work on the cabin I'm not traveling that distance every day just to sleep in a van."  
"Start looking for office space closer to the property." He pointed out.  
I nodded. "I will, but I can't do it all in a day."  
"Anything you can do at the office you can do it from your laptop." He pressed.  
"Owen," I sighed.  
"Claire, I really don't want you out in the public's eye without me—"  
I held my hand up to cut him off. "You're not my body guard. I can handle myself."  
He snorted and glanced at me quickly before turning his attention back to the road. "First of all you were going to fend me off with the heel of your shoe. Second when I saw you with Wyatt out on the street, it didn't look like you had control of the situation."  
"Is he the reason you're being like this?" I asked. I liked that Owen was being protective, but there was something more he was hiding from me.  
"Partly," he shrugged and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. "I don't trust him, but he's not the only reason."  
I twisted in my seat so he knew he had all my attention. "What's the other reason?"  
His jaw clenched and his shoulders tensed.  
"If you want me to consider driving two hours back and forth to the office for the next few days I need a good enough reason."  
"I need to make sure you're ok." He grumbled through clenched teeth.  
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine…"  
I trailed off when he shook his head.  
He was silent for a few minutes and I studied his face. I knew that face well.  
I took a deep breath and reached for his arm. "Talk to me, Owen. If you want this to work you can't shut down on me."  
He glanced at Maisie in the rearview mirror which caused me to look over at her.  
As soon as my eyes met hers she dropped her gaze trying to act as if she wasn't paying attention to us.  
Whatever he needed to say he wasn't going to do it in front of her. I could respect that. She is a child and doesn't need to worry about either one of us.  
"Ok," I sighed, letting my hand drop from his arm and turned to face forward again. "This isn't over."  
He stayed quiet beside me.  
Glancing at him from the corner of my eye I could see there was an eternal battle going on inside his head. I wish we were alone. I wanted to force him to talk to me.  
With a heavy sigh, I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved to go sit with Maisie. He obviously had some things he needed to sort out and I would give him until the moment Maisie was asleep.  
My heart thumped heavily in my chest. A year ago this was the start of the end with Owen and I. He had shut himself off from me. Refusing to talk about what was bothering him. In this moment I was scared.  
Lunch was just as silent as the past few hours. Maisie and I finished and cleaned up, while Owen decided he was going to keep driving. His sandwich still sat on the passengers seat.  
Maisie settled herself on the couch to watch a movie on my phone.  
I grabbed one of my books and caught Owen's eyes as I made my way into the bedroom. This was something I did when I wanted him to notice he was pushing me away. The only difference this time was I kept the door open for Maisie.  
I threw myself on the bed and flipped open the book to where I left off.  
It was a few minutes later when Maisie quietly entered the room. "Is he ok?" She whispered.  
I sat up and patted the mattress beside me. "He's fine. He's just got a lot to think about right now."  
I held my arm out for her and she curled into my side.  
"He's quiet."  
I smiled into her hair. "I'll talk to him later. Don't worry."  
I decided to change the subject. "How is your photo album coming along?"  
She looked up at me and smiled. "Good! Though it kind of turned into a scrapbook. I want it to be a surprise and show you guys when it's finished."  
"I can't wait!" I exclaimed.  
"I'm going to work on it some more!"  
I was glad my distraction worked.  
She scooted off the bed and ran out towards the front of the van.  
"I'm hungry," I heard Maisie talking to Owen.  
"We'll stop for the night in a little while. There's some snacks in the cabinet behind the table." He answered.  
I put my book down and made my way out of the room to help her. Owen straightened up when he saw me walk out of the room.  
I threw him a pleading look, and I saw the tension in his eyes.  
It seemed like forever before Maisie was finally asleep.  
I stood, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept soundly. There was no way I would let us fall apart now. Not with Maisie relying so heavily on the both of us. Not when she's comfortable enough to call us mom and dad.  
Throwing Owen's sweatshirt on I made my way back out by the fire. It was time to get him to talk to me and I was prepared to do something I have never done before in my life. Beg.


	17. Chapter 17

He sat on the blanket, two freshly opened bottles of beer by his hip.  
When he heard me step beside him he lifted one to me and I took it before sitting by his side.  
I took a sip, turning to look at him, reaching up I ran my fingers through his hair. "Talk to me, Owen."  
"You're not going to just let it go, huh?" He touched his beer bottle to his lips and hesitated before taking a sip.  
I shook my head. "I refuse to let us fall apart this time."  
He took another swig of his beer before getting to his feet.  
"Owen—" I started, but he cut me off.  
"Why can't you just understand that it makes more sense for you to be with me every night instead of going back to your apartment alone?"  
I followed his movements with my eyes as he paced back and forth. "Because it doesn't make sense!" I yelled.  
He stopped pacing, his back was towards me. "It makes sense to me!" He yelled just as loud as I did.  
I managed to keep my voice calm when I spoke again. "I need you to tell me why it makes sense to you."  
He started pacing again.  
"Owen…" I said softly when he didn't say anything in response.  
His hands balled into fists as he walked.  
I jumped to my feet and stepped in his path. My hands reached out and gripped his arms tightly. "What do I have to do to get you to talk to me? Don't do this again, Owen."  
I stared into his eyes, pleading with him.  
Silence.  
I closed my eyes and turned to walk away from him.  
His fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist. "I need you," he whispered.  
I turned my head to look at him. "I'm right here."  
He shook his head and closed his eyes.  
"Owen," I sighed, turning back to face him. I reached up and placed my palm on his cheek.  
He leaned into my touch. "I need to know you're alive."  
"What?" I asked, confused.  
"When you're not with me I'm afraid all this was a dream. Why do you think I came back so quick after capturing the T-rex?" His hands fell to my shoulders. "You came too damn close to dying for me to be without you. You not laying next to me makes my nightmares real. In my nightmares I can't get you out of the Gyrosphere in time," tears filled his eyes and I took a step towards him, letting my palms rest against his chest. "I left you in that display case and the last words you spoke to me were a lie." He clapped his hands to his temples, "'I'll be fine,'" he repeated my promise to him before I pushed him away to go find Maisie. He shook his head, the tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. "You lied. Your mangled body was all I found."  
He opened his eyes to look into mine. With a growl, he crushed his lips against mine. I held him as tight as I could.  
He broke the kiss as we panted for needed air. His forehead came to rest against mine. "I need you there when I wake up. If you're not, my nightmares are real."  
I leaned in to kiss him again. "Then I will come back."  
He leaned back to smile at me. "You will?"  
I nodded. "I said you need to give me a good reason to drive back and forth. That's a pretty good reason."  
His arms tightened around me. "I love you." He sighed and kissed me again.  
I broke the kiss to let my lips travel to his neck. "Why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares." I whispered against his skin.  
He shrugged. "They'll stop soon enough."  
"You want me to marry you, right?" I asked, my lips still against his neck.  
He tightened his arms around me and hummed. "More than you will ever realize."  
I pulled back to look into his eyes. "No more keeping things from me. I get it if you don't want to say something in front of Maisie, but you need to talk to me when something is bugging you."  
"I'm trying." He sighed.  
"I see that, and I'm proud of you for that. I love you, Owen."  
His lips found mine and we were lost in the passion of the kiss.  
I pulled away and turned to walk towards the trailer. He kicked dirt on the fire and quickly followed after me.

It took us another day to get back to the cabin.  
Maisie burst through the door the moment Owen put the van in park.  
We watched her run towards the cabin and weave in and out of the beams.  
"Can I have my own tool belt?" She asked, finding Owen's and trying to put it around her waist.  
Owen laughed and walked towards her to help her buckle it in place. "You both will be getting one. If we are going to get this cabin finished so we can move in, then we will have to work fast."  
I left them to continue talking about what Maisie will be doing to help with building the cabin.  
There were days worth of dirty laundry, I started collecting so I could take it back to my apartment. It was pretty early in the morning, so I would have time to stop at my apartment and then head to the DPG.  
"Mom!" Maisie called out as I was throwing the laundry bag in the trunk of my car.  
My heart skipped a beat, still not used to my new name being spoken out-loud. "Yeah?" I called back, looking up to see where she was. My eyes went wide and my hear jumped to my throat.  
"Owen!" I scolded.  
"She's fine!" He didn't do a good job at trying to reassure me.  
Maisie was on her belly on the roof helping Owen hammer in nails.  
She stood up and waved at me. "This is so high!"  
"You're going to fall!" I couldn't hide the panic in my voice.  
"Sit down before you give her a heart attack." Owen reached for her arm to help her sit back down.  
"I swear, Owen if I leave and come back to a broken kid I'll break you."  
"What time will you be back?" He asked, ignoring my threat.  
"Probably late. Don't count on me for dinner."  
"Oh," Owen smiled up at Maisie. "you know what that means?"  
Maisie shook her head.  
"It means junk food!"  
I rolled my eyes. "Do I need to find a babysitter for the both of you?"  
"You're funny!" Owen called over my shoulder.  
I finished loading up my car and made my way over to the cabin. "Bye you guys." I called up to them.  
"Let me know when you're on your way back." Owen said as he descended the ladder.  
He went slow as Maisie followed his motions down the ladder.  
I held my breath until her feet were on the ground.  
She raced by Owen to hug me first. "Tell Zia and Franklin I said hi!"  
I bent down to kiss the top of her head. "I will."  
Owen was quick to claim me when Maisie let go to race back towards the cabin. "Please be careful."  
I nodded and leaned in to kiss him.  
About forty-five minutes into the drive I noticed one of the buildings had a sign that stated Office space available. I pulled over and parked. The building was tall and looked fairly new.  
The main lobby was large and welcoming.  
The woman behind the desk looked up at me as soon as I walked in. "Good morning," she smiled.  
"Hello, I'd like to inquire about the office space listed outside."  
"Of course!" She searched her desk for the information. Her eyes kept looking up at me as if she was trying to figure out who I was. "May I ask what your company is?"  
"I'm the founder of the Dinosaur Protection Group."  
Her eyes went wide. "Claire Dearing?"  
I nodded.  
"Oh! I thought it was you! What an honor to meet you!" Her hand shot out over her desk and I took it, smiling back at her. "I'm Cam."  
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you, too."  
"Are you looking to relocate?"  
"Yes, my family and I have a place just outside town and I saw the sign on my way back to San Fransisco."  
"It would be an honor to have you here! My father is actually the owner of the building. He's not here right now, but I can show you the space."  
I glanced down at my watch and nodded. "That would be great, thank you."  
The office space was on the tenth floor. The entire floor was available. This would leave me with more then enough room for all the volunteers and then some.  
The large room was filled with rows of cubicles. It was better than desks spread out all over the place. Along the wall furthest from the elevator was a large conference room, three private offices, a space which could be used for a break lounge, bathrooms, and in the far corner was a large corner office.  
"This is perfect!" I gasped looking at the space. This corner office was surprisingly bigger than my office back on Isla Nublar. I wanted it.  
"Wonderful! I'll take down your information and have my father get in touch with you."  
We made our way back to the lobby and I gave her all the information she needed.  
I couldn't wait to be able to only drive a quarter of the distance to the office.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Wow... I'm so sorry you guys! I'm surprised no one caught that I was completely missing a chapter, you all must have been confused with Owen and Claire's argument with him not wanting her to stay at her apartment without him! I added an entire chapter that was missing! Go back to Chapter 16! It's the one that was missing! I'm so so sorry! This is what I get got getting too excited about what I have in store for this story lol. I promise a new chapter tomorrow morning! So you guys get two new chapters technically haha! Chapter 19 will be up as soon as I get the kids off to school :)**_

Pulling back out on the road, I couldn't help but smile the entire way back to San Fransisco. Though I told Owen there was no way I would find office space in a day, I couldn't wait to get back and tell him I actually did.  
"There she is!" Zia smiled as I walked into the office.  
"How has it been?" I asked. "I appreciate you guys keeping my phone off limits for the last few days."  
"It's been quiet. Ronni and Owen's team have gotten all carnivores out of California. The only one we can't find is—"  
"Blue" I finished for her.  
She nodded.  
"Owen hasn't mentioned his worry about her, but I know he is. She will be hard to find. Any sightings?"  
She shook her head. "None at all. That's the weird part. There hasn't been a single raptor sighting since she got loose."  
I raised an eyebrow. "That's weird…"  
"Maybe she just kills everyone who sees her so there's no witnesses alive." Franklin suggested.  
"No," I shook my head. "That's not something she would do. She's got to be hiding out somewhere."  
"Where's our girl?" Zia asked, realizing I was alone.  
"She's home with Owen. They're working on the cabin."  
"That's adorable." Amanda chimed in.  
I turned to face her. She hugged me before motioning back to my computer.  
"There's an email from a Mr. Julian with the subject line 'Office Space Inquiry'."  
"Oh, that was fast. Thanks, Amanda!" I hurried away from their confused glances and read the email.  
Apparently he is a supporter of the DPG as well. I replied to his email with a time for us to meet and start the paperwork.  
Turning to face the large group of people moving around the room, I figured it was time to let them know.  
I stood up and cleared my throat loudly. The few who were just a few feet away looked up from what they were doing.  
"This will just take a moment, but I need everyone's attention." I waited a moment for everyone in the room to fall silent. "This space has gotten a little tight for the amount of volunteers we have. With the DPG now being fully funded we are able to move to a larger space. I know most of you live in the city, but I will not be living in the area much longer. There's office space a little over an hour out of the city that I found. It's the perfect size and closer to where Owen and I will be settling."  
There were murmurs through the crowd as some discussed their distance to the new office. My shoulders relaxed when I saw more smiles then frowns.  
"The cause is more important than distance." Franklin said.  
"Yeah, we will follow you, Claire." Connor smiled.  
Murmurs of agreement moved through the room.  
I smiled. "Thanks everyone."  
Sitting back down at my desk, I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Owen. "Hi, Mom!" Maisie giggled into the phone.  
My stomach did flips. I don't think I would ever not be able to smile at the sound of my new title. "Hi, sweetie. How's it going?"  
"Great! Dad says I'm a natural. We finished the roof of the porch."  
My eyes widened. "Wow, that's good. Where's… Dad?" I corrected myself before I said his name. Thankfully she didn't notice.  
"He's on the roof now. He said it was too high for me, so I'm taking a break."  
"He's absolutely right. Can you get him for me? I need to tell him something."  
She yelled for Owen and it was less than a minute before he was at the phone.  
"What's up?" He asked.  
"Can you meet me in two hours?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing," I was quick to assure him. "I just have a meeting and I want you to be there. On my way in this morning I found office space."  
"Who said it couldn't be done in a day?"  
I rolled my eyes. I knew he was going to throw that in my face. "Shut it." I grumbled.  
He laughed way too loud. "I'll be there. Send me the address."  
"Please make sure you don't look like you've been crawling around in the dirt all morning." I pleaded.  
I could almost hear him rolling his eyes at me. "I know." He huffed.  
"And tell Maisie to pick out a dress."  
He snorted.  
I knew that was going to be a struggle. Maisie was more like Owen in her fashion choices. She's happy in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. I had to force her to buy a few dresses while we were shopping.  
"Like father like daughter," I chuckled and hung up.  
Just as I hung up, my phone rang before I could put it down.  
"Hey, Ronnie." I answered.  
"Hi, Claire. Is Owen with you? He's not answering his phone."  
"Oh, I was just on the phone with him. He's not here. You can probably call him now. Sorry. Is everything ok?"  
"Yeah, I just want to know what he wants to do about the raptor."  
"Did you find her?" My words came so quick it sounded like one word.  
"No," She sighed. "We have nothing to go on either, so I don't even know where to start looking."  
"Ok, call Owen and see what he wants to do."  
"Thanks Claire." She said and hung up.  
Part of me was happy Blue wasn't getting into trouble, but something didn't seem right.  
I worked on some phone calls and emails for a while, until it was time to meet Owen at the new office.  
"I'll be back a little later." I told Amanda. "I have a meeting about the office space."  
"Good luck!" She smiled up at me.  
I pulled up behind Owen's truck and he got out, followed by Maisie.  
My eyes immediately fell to Maisie's feet. She was wearing a dress like I asked, but her favorite sneakers were in place of her dress shoes I bought for her.  
I looked up at Owen and narrowed my eyes. "What?" He half shrieked. "She's in a dress!"  
Maisie giggled.  
"Boys!" He yelled. "Give me boys and we won't have this problem."  
"Oh, forget it." I groaned and took her hand to cross the street.  
"Did Ronnie call you?" I asked as we approached the building.  
He nodded and his eyes tightened.  
I wasn't the only one who felt there was something wrong.  
"Do you think she got hurt from the fight?" Maisie asked.  
I looked down with wide eyes. I didn't think of that.  
Owen stopped walking and looked down at her, too. "Oh," his eyes searched the ground as he thought about it. He pulled his phone out.  
"Ronni!" He said quickly. "Search the woods around the Lockwood Estate. I want a five mile radius searched around the house."  
He was silent as he listened to her.  
"Keep me updated." He said and hung up.  
"Good thinking, kiddo." He looked up at me. "I want Zia there just in case she's injured."  
I picked up my phone to inform Zia of her task.  
"She will meet them there." I told Owen when I hung up.  
He nodded, but I could see the strain in his eyes. He was torn, wanting to be with Maisie and I and wanting to help find Blue.  
The meeting was quick. Owen immediately approved of the space and Maisie fell in love with the view from the windows along the opposite wall where the offices were.  
We walked across the street to the small Cafe for a late lunch.  
Owen sat slumped back in his chair, fiddling with the straw in his water.  
My eyes fell on Maisie. She was busy coloring on the back of her paper placemat.  
I looked back up at Owen and reached across the space between us and squeezed his leg. "You need to go." I said softly.  
He shook his head, but didn't say anything.  
"Owen," I leaned forward to try and get him to look at me. "Owen." I said louder when he didn't look up.  
I had both his and Maisie's attention now.  
"We'll be fine." I told him.  
He snorted.  
I rolled my eyes. "I mean it."  
"What if we all went?" Maisie asked.  
Owen and I both stared at her with wide eyes.  
"What?" She asked, looking from Owen to me. "It's not like the place is crawling with dinosaurs anymore. I want to help. She saved me, too."  
"No." Owen's voice was stern. "I appreciate you wanting to help, Mais, but it's too dangerous."  
"Hmf," She grumbled and slumped back in her chair.  
"Does this mean you're going?" I asked him.  
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I will give them one day to start their search. I'll go tomorrow night. If I don't get this damn cabin finished we will never move in."  
"Don't worry about the Cabin. Focus on Blue. Plus It's going to take time getting the offices set up. Maisie and I can stay at the apartment until you get back."  
"Ok," he sighed heavily.


	19. Chapter 19

"I still don't see why we couldn't go. I want to help." Maisie groaned as she kicked her sneakers off.  
We had just gotten back to the apartment. The two hour drive from the cabin was silent. Maisie was mad that we had to say goodbye to Owen. Ronnie was unsuccessful in finding Blue, so Owen went to help.  
"She speaks," I threw her my best smile, but she rolled her eyes.  
My smile faded. "Hey, none of that."  
"I really want to help find Blue." She grumbled.  
"We have a more important job to do."  
Her eyebrows raised. I had her interest.  
"What?" She asked.  
"We are going to enroll you in school by the cabin."  
"That's not more important!" She yelled.  
I leaned away from her, my eyes wide. "Maisie," I warned.  
"No!" Her voice got louder. "It's not fair!"  
"Ok," I tried to keep my voice as calm as I could. "You need to calm down."  
"No!" She yelled.  
"Excuse me?" My patience was running thin and I didn't know how to go about scolding a child. Especially one who has been through so much.  
"You heard me!" Her eyes narrowed.  
I lost all control of the tone of my voice. "To your room until you can talk to me the right way."  
She crossed her arms against her chest and stood her ground.  
"Maisie Grady, I said to your room, now!"  
She spun on her heels and I caught a slight smile hinting on the corner of her mouth as she turned away from me. I knew it was from me using her full name, but she was still in trouble.  
I jumped slightly when her door slammed shut.  
Knowing Owen was still driving I went to grab my phone. Searching the counter where I placed it, I came up empty handed.  
Maisie's muffled voice came from her room. She must have my phone.  
Slipping out of my heels to make sure I didn't make any noise, I snuck down the hall to her closed door.  
"But I want to!" She cried.  
She was silent for a moment.  
"I understand," she sniffed.  
She paused again.  
"Bye, Dad."  
I smiled to myself. From what I heard Owen was on my side.  
There was movement behind the door and I hurried away.  
"Mom?" She called out softly.  
I just reached my room and spun around to look at her. "Yeah?"  
She took a deep breath and stepped out of her room. "I'm sorry."  
I sighed heavily and walked back over to her. Pulling her into my arms, I hugged her tight. "It's ok to be passionate about something. Especially when it's for something or someone you care deeply for."  
She nodded against me. "But I shouldn't have yelled at you. It wasn't just you that said I couldn't go."  
Good job, Owen. I thought to myself.  
I couldn't help but laugh, "You're not even a teenager yet. This isn't going to be the last disagreement you have with us."  
She smiled up at me. "You still mad?"  
"I was never mad," I shook my head. "Just surprised."  
"Ok," she breathed out. "That's good."  
I leaned down to kiss the top of her head.  
The next morning I woke up before Maisie. I made coffee and flipped open my laptop. There was no way I would be bringing Maisie into the office. Wyatt hasn't been around, but I wasn't going to take any chances. Working from home was going to have to due today.  
I searched for the schools website where Maisie would be going. It was a school I knew well from campaigning there. The DPG was invited back a few times during some of their family events. It was a great school. Owen agreed with my choice.  
I sipped my coffee while the website loaded. The paperwork I had to fill out could mostly be done online. I had it finished just as Maisie opened her door with a heavy yawn.  
"Good morning," I smiled at her when she dragged her feet into the kitchen.  
"Hi," she croaked, rubbing her eyes. "Did you hear from dad?" Her eyes widened slightly as she remembered he wasn't here.  
I glanced down at my phone. "Not yet."  
"Can I call him?"  
I shook my head. "I don't think that's a good idea. He's probably out looking for her and we don't want his phone ringing to scare her away."  
She looked down at her hands.  
"Here," I reached for my phone and sent a quick text to him. Maisie wants an update when you can. "I just told him to call you as soon as he can."  
This made her smile. "Thanks!" She skipped over to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice.  
For the rest of the morning Maisie carried my phone around. She was becoming aggravated from the phone calls that were coming in were not Owen.  
"Here!" She groaned, stomping over to me once again to hand me my phone.  
"This is the school." I told her and answered the phone.  
She leaned on her elbows against the counter as I spoke to the administrator.  
"Am I enrolled?" She asked when I hung up and handed her the phone back.  
I nodded. "You're a fourth grader!"  
"Wow," She whispered, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "This is so cool!"  
"Your teacher's name is Mr. McCotter and he's excited you'll be joining his class."  
"When do I go?"  
"Two days. Owen should be back and we can drop you off."  
I saw the worry in her eyes and took her hand to lead her over to the couch. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
She shrugged.  
"I know you're nervous right now, but I think you'll have a lot of fun. Maybe even meet some new friends."  
She shrugged again.  
"I have a list of supplies you're going to need. Want to go pick them out?"  
Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Ok!"  
I couldn't help but laugh.  
By the time the day was done, Maisie had picked out an array of notebooks, folders, pencils and a backpack. This made her excited and ready for her first day.  
We were driving back to the apartment when my phone rang through the speakers of my car.  
"It's dad!" Maisie screeched when she saw his name pop up.  
I hit the call button on the steering wheel.  
"Hi!" Maisie and I said at the same time.  
Owen laughed. "There's my girls."  
"Did you find Blue?" Maisie asked.  
He was quiet for a moment. "No, kiddo, we haven't."  
"Oh," Maisie looked down at her hands.  
"How many miles have you checked?" I asked him.  
"We've done a clean three mile radius so far. Some just started the fourth mile. I may kick it out another mile or two into the town. There's a few guys I sent into town to ask about any sightings."  
"What about her tracks leading away from the house?" I wondered. Remembering the exact spot we watched her run off to.  
"I followed them, but the foliage is too thick and they disappear… Am I on speaker?" He asked and I immediately glanced at Maisie. He had more he wanted to say, but didn't want to say it in front of her.  
"Yes, we are in the car." I answered.  
"Oh! That's right! Everything go ok signing up Maisie for school?" He was quick to change the subject and he made himself sound excited for Maisie.  
"Yeah!" Maisie cheered. "We just got a bunch of supplies I'll need."  
"Awesome! I'll be home tomorrow and you can show me."  
"Ok!"  
"Claire, I'll talk to you later."  
"Yes." I said.  
We hung up and Maisie sighed heavily, leaning back against her seat.  
"I'm sure she's fine. She's good at hiding."


	20. Chapter 20

Knowing what time Maisie goes to bed, my phone rang just over an hour after she fell asleep.  
"What's going on?" I asked, stepping into my bedroom and shutting the door.  
"The trucks are gone. The lab in the basement of the house is cleaned out. Blue's not missing, Claire. She was captured."  
"By who? How do you know?" My mind was racing. I felt nauseous.  
He sighed heavily into the phone. "Footsteps follow hers into the woods and they come back out and towards where a truck was."  
So he was lying before to try and keep Maisie from worrying.  
"That's impossible! We were the last ones there!"  
"They came back."  
"Who?" I hissed.  
"Anyone hear from Dr. Wu?" He asked.  
"No, last Franklin and Zia saw him was after he stabbed him with a syringe of Carfentanil. That's when Zia let Blue out. No one has seen him since."  
"Right, the son of a bitch got what he wanted. He's got Blue. That's the only explanation. She's gone, Claire. We're not going to find her out here."  
"So we track down Henry. We stop this once and for all."  
He was silent for a moment. "You're right. Get Franklin on trying to track down Wu."  
"I will. I'll see you tomorrow." I said softly.  
"Yeah," he was distant. His mind was somewhere else.  
"Owen," I warned. "Don't do anything else right now. We'll find her."  
"Sure, got it."  
"What has you so distracted? Your date finally show up or something?"  
He snorted. "No, she's probably laying across her bed, talking to some hot guy on the phone."  
I couldn't help but laugh. He was right, I was laying on the bed. "Seriously, whats wrong."  
"Just worried."  
"Just come home and we will find her together."  
We said good night and I laid on my back staring at the ceiling. Henry must be alive. There's no one else who would know just how important Blue is. Whoever had her doesn't want to stay alive very long. She won't listen to anyone but Owen. She'd kill anyone who tried taking his place as her alpha. There was no doubt about that.  
The next morning I forced myself to drag Maisie into the office with me. This was important and the worry on her face made it clear she was no longer buying Owen's lies.  
As soon as we stepped into the office Maisie wondered over to sit with Amanda and Art. They were working on posters for one of the elementary schools we would be visiting in a few days. She got busy helping them color.  
Most of the office was packed up and ready to be moved over to the new office.  
"Franklin," I said softly, pulling up a chair and sitting beside him.  
His eyes went wide. "What now?"  
"We need to find Dr. Wu. He was the one you stabbed. It's about Blue."  
"He has her?"  
I shrugged. "That's what Owen thinks. Just do whatever you can to try and track him down. Lockwood Estate has been completely cleaned out. There's nothing left in the lab. Can you get me security footage from the house? I want to see who's going in and out of there."  
"That's easy." Franklin said, his fingers immediately drumming across his keyboard.  
It took him a few minutes, but he easily hacked into the surveillance cameras.  
"Hey, there's Owen." He said, pointing to him on the screen.  
His back was towards the camera, but that was definitely him.  
"Why is he back in the lab?" I wondered.  
There was a lot of fire damage, but he was right. The incubators were gone, computers gone, cabinets were bare.  
"They moved the lab somewhere else."  
Something made Owen spin on his heels. He was talking to someone.  
"Find a different camera." I demanded.  
"I can't this is the only one that wasn't damaged. The other cameras are outside of the lab."  
Owen's face wasn't happy with whoever he was talking to. I hated that I couldn't hear what they were talking about.  
"I'm trying to get the sound." Franklin read my mind.  
"Forget it." I said when I saw Owen walk out of the lab. The man he was talking to followed.  
"Did you see a face?" I half shrieked.  
Franklin shook his head. "I have no idea who that is."  
Once I was able to confirm Owen was fine, I had Franklin try and go back into recorded footage.  
I got up and went to my desk to try and search news articles that would hint towards Henry's whereabouts.  
By the end of the day Franklin was able to confirm Henry is in fact alive and was among those that were cleaning out the lab.  
I took the footage and sent it over to the government so they were aware there was potentially still dinosaurs being created.  
After I convinced Maisie to go to sleep by promising her Owen would come in and say goodnight as soon as he got home. I curled up on the couch and for the first time in a while to actually watch the news.  
"Claire?"  
I jumped from the voice.  
"Oh," I groaned, rubbing my eyes. I didn't remember falling asleep. "Hey," I smiled at Owen who was kneeling in front of the couch.  
He leaned in to kiss me.  
"I saw you today." I told him, sitting up so he could sit.  
"Oh, yeah?" He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he sat on the couch beside me.  
I curled into his side. "Franklin was able to hack into the security system at the estate. Who were you talking to in the lab?"  
"Someone who worked there, I guess. He said he was there to collect his personal belongings."  
I sat up so I could see his face.  
"Don't worry," he said quickly. "I checked it out. He really was there for personal items. He had pictures of his family, his phone and a few other things. He says he hasn't seen or heard from Dr. Wu."  
"Ok," I sighed and leaned back into his side. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"  
"Nope."  
His arms tightened around me. "Anything on the news?"  
"Nothing but the footage I released earlier. They're asking the public for any information."  
The next day was pretty quiet. No one has come forward with any information. The Lockwood Estate was now under complete surveillance.  
"You ready, kiddo?" Owen asked, reaching for her hand as she stepped out of the car.  
She glanced up with wide eyes at the school. "Yeah," She smiled.  
We started walking with her to the front door and she spun around to stop us.  
She held her hands up. "Wait."  
"What's wrong?" I asked her.  
"No one else's parents are walking them in."  
"This isn't their first day." Owen pointed out.  
"I want to do it on my own."  
"Are you sure?" I didn't mean to sound so surprised.  
She nodded.  
"We can walk you in. It's not a big deal." I didn't realize saying goodbye was going to be this hard. I wasn't quite ready to let her go. Knowing her for only three weeks felt more like a lifetime.  
Owen stepped behind me. His hands squeezed my shoulders and his lips were at my ear. "It's a big deal to her."  
She hugged us both quickly and turned to follow the crowd of kids walking into the building.  
"I know this school. I can help her." I told Owen.  
His arm slipped around my waist and he kissed my temple. "She'll be fine."  
She paused at the doors.  
A little girl with straight blond hair stepped up beside her and tapped her shoulder. They talked for a moment and with a smile the little girl took Maisie's hand and led her into the building.  
"That's it?" I asked. "No tears, no one last look back."  
Owen chuckled beside me. "She's very independent."  
"I know, but…"  
"Are you crying?" Owen stepped in front of me and swept his thumb under my eye.  
I don't know why I felt so emotional. It's just school. She's nine, not five.  
I slapped his hand away. "Let's go. I have an office to unpack and you have to work on the cabin."


	21. Chapter 21

It didn't take long to completely move the office over to the new one. We were almost a week in and finally falling into a more steady routine.  
It was almost hard to believe that it's been a month since the events at the Lockwood Estate.  
With Maisie in school she had stories every night about her new friends. Most nights Owen usually had her recite all their names and questioned when she said a boys name.  
This made Maisie laugh every time.  
With the cabin still in progress and the new office set up, We completely were moved into the van. Owen was working overtime on the cabin and I was still doing all I could to try and find Henry.  
There was a knock on my office door and I jumped up, not realizing I had fallen asleep at my desk.  
"You ok, boss?" Franklin asked when he walked in.  
"Fine." I yawned. "Sorry. What did you need?"  
"Just wanted to let you know I'm done going through all the tapes from the house. Did you want to look through them before releasing the rest?"  
I nodded. "Send them to me," I yawned again and twisted to turn on my computer.  
"Do you know this is the third time this week you've fallen asleep."  
"You keeping track?" I snapped.  
He shrugged. "Just not like you."  
"Footage." I demanded. "Send it to me."  
"Ok, ok." He hurried out of the office and I got up to slam the door shut. I wasn't in the mood for jokes.  
I looked over the footage and sent it on to be released to the public for more information on the faces of men and women removing items from the lab.  
I got home late and Owen was just washing dishes when I stepped through the door.  
"I saved you a plate." He said.  
"Not hungry." I groaned and dragged my feet towards the small bedroom.  
"You ok?" He asked and I could feel his eyes on my back.  
"My head hurts and I'm tired." I walked towards the bed and threw myself onto it.  
"She getting sick?" I heard Maisie ask Owen.  
"Don't think so, why?" He asked her, his voice low, trying to make it so I couldn't hear him.  
"She threw up this morning."  
I groaned into the pillow. I thought she was still sleeping.  
"What?" Owen gasped. I heard the dish in his hands clatter into the sink and his heavy footsteps coming towards me.  
"I'm fine." I mumbled into the pillow. "Just something I ate."  
The bed shifted from his weight as he sat down. His hand slowly rubbed my back. "You sure?"  
I turned so I could see him. Throwing him my best smile despite the fact that my head was pounding. "See, I'm fine." I scrunched up my nose. "But you need a shower."  
"The roof is finished." He pointed out, trying to change the subject.  
"You still need a shower."  
"That's all you have to say?"  
"You stink and it's making me sick."  
"Go to sleep," He mumbled. "You're cranky."  
The next morning I dropped Maisie off at school and headed back to the office. It wasn't until I walked passed the break room that the smell of fresh brewed coffee had me rushing into the bathroom.  
I rinsed my mouth out and stared at myself in the mirror. "What is wrong with you?" I mumbled. It wasn't three hours earlier I was basking in the smell of my morning coffee. The thought of it turned my stomach and I hurried back into the stall.  
Straightening myself up and trying my best to fix my makeup I made my way into my office.  
The morning went normal with no other signs of being sick. It must have been something I ate, or the milk in my coffee was bad. I grabbed my phone to call Owen knowing him and Maisie both had the milk in their cereal this morning.  
"Hey, Babe." He answered. I could hear the sound of his drill in the background.  
"You feeling ok?" I asked him.  
"Me? Yeah, fine." The drill stopped. "Why?"  
"Have you heard anything from the school about Maisie not feeling well?"  
"No… Claire, what's wrong?"  
I sighed heavily and leaned back against my chair. "Nothing."  
"You still not feeling well?"  
"I'm fine now." I glanced down at my desk calendar and started doodling on today's date.  
"Now?"  
I ignored Owen's question. "What's today's date?" Though I was starring right at it, I wasn't believing the thoughts that were flying through my head.  
"Um.. the eighteenth."  
"No…" I trailed off, starring at the date and counting. "Five!" I said to myself. My cycle has always been like clockwork.  
"Five what?"  
I didn't answer him.  
"Claire! What the hell is going on?"  
"I'm going to kill you." I grumbled and hung up the phone.  
I turned my phone off so I didn't have to deal with him calling me. Reaching for my purse, I got up and walked as quickly as I could and made my way through the office, making sure to hold my breath as I passed the break room.  
"Where's the fire?" Amanda asked, peeking out from her cubicle.  
"What?" I jumped and turned back to look at her. "Oh, um… Maisie. She's sick. I'm going to pick her up and bring her home."  
Before she could answer I turned back around and hurried towards the elevator.  
With a paper bag shoved in my purse I pulled up to the van. Owen sat on the steps of the cabin, phone in hand. As soon as he saw my car he tossed his phone to the ground and was walking towards me.  
"What the hell, Claire!"  
I got out of the car, slamming the door shut. "Don't follow me!" I yelled as I stormed towards the van.  
"I will until you tell me what is wrong! Why did you turn your phone off? What the hell did I do?"  
"I'll tell you in a few minutes." I snapped and slammed the van door shut, locking it behind me.  
Owen tried opening the door and started banging when he found it locked.

I sat on the bed, holding the small white stick in my hand. Two pink lines were on display as bright as could be.  
"If you don't open this door I will break it down!" Owen yelled.  
Gripping the test in my hand I threw the door open and tossed it at him.  
"What is this?" He asked, looking at it.  
"It's a pregnancy test you idiot! You knocked me up!"  
"Wait…" He looked at the positive test and back at me. "you're…"  
"Pregnant, Owen. Your mutant seed got me pregnant! I'm five days late and I'm never late!"  
He burst into a fit of laughter.  
I narrowed my eyes. "This isn't funny!"  
He nodded as he continued laughing.  
I shoved his shoulders and he stumbled backwards, laughing harder.  
"Oh, you moron!" I yelled and moved around him towards my car.  
"Wait," he tried to control his laughing. "this isn't a bad thing, Claire."  
"Yes it is! This isn't the time. We are living out of a van, I'm in the middle of tracking down who the hell has Blue, we aren't even married yet… and Maisie, Owen! What about Maisie!"  
He walked towards me and clasped his hands around my arms. "Maisie will be a great, big sister. The baby won't be here for nine months. I'll have the cabin finished by then. We can get married the moment you tell me you're ready. I don't care where or how I marry you, Claire. As for the rest, well, we'll figure it out."  
I shook my head and let him pull me against him. "I can't believe you got me pregnant."  
"You're just mad because this is something you can't control."  
He was right. I had absolutely no control over anything that was happening inside my body right now and it scared the hell out of me.  
"This is all your fault!"  
"Did you fail health class? It takes two to tango, Babe. Besides weren't you on that birth control shot?"  
I closed my eyes and nodded. "The Depo shot… I missed my last one… or two." I shrugged. "We weren't together anymore, so I didn't keep track of getting it. Right now there's been more important things I've been worried about. I guess I forgot. We didn't have to worry about protection before, so I didn't think about it this time around."  
He leaned away from me with a grin that stretched up to his eyes. "So who's fault is it?"  
"It's still yours!" I waved my hands towards his jeans. "Your little… troops… could have stayed away!"  
He laughed again and brought his lips to mine. "Doesn't matter who's fault it is. We're having a baby."  
I couldn't hold back my smile. He was truly beaming over this. "Looks like it."

 ** _Review please! I love reading all of your reactions? I'm really looking forward to everyone's reaction to THIS chapter ;)_**


	22. Chapter 22

_**I'm so excited about the amazing feedback from last chapter! Though there was 1 or 2 people who was against pregnant Claire, but you know what? This is my story.**_

 _ **Thank you to those who have followed from the beginning! I'm having a ball writing my stories and I get so excited when you guys review! Keep it up! Next few chapters will be interesting... you've been warned ;)**_

"Mom!" Maisie yelled, causing me to jump.  
I glared at her from across the table. "What?"  
"I've been talking to you." She giggled and stuck another spoonful of her cereal in her mouth.  
"Oh," I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Owen and I were having a baby. There were a few nights a year ago when we talked about our future, but being back together I was too focused on Maisie to even consider other children. It just wasn't the right time.  
"The school is less than a five minute walk from here, can I walk home?"  
"That's something I'll have to talk to Dad about." I didn't want to admit it, but calling Owen, dad and hearing Maisie call me mom had a brand new feeling to it.  
"Annie lives one street over and she walks home." She argued.  
I got up to take her empty bowl from her. "Good for her, I still need to talk to Dad."  
"Can I go out and ask him?"  
I nodded, knowing she wasn't going to give up nagging me until she was able to talk to him.  
Since we found out I was pregnant two days ago, Owen has been up at the crack of dawn working on the cabin and with electricity flowing through there, he was up working even after Maisie and I were sleeping. Telling Maisie was the next step and I was terrified. Telling my sister would be easier than telling Maisie.  
I grabbed Maisie's backpack and headed out to meet her and Owen outside.  
"Come on, Mais!" I called out for her.  
"I can walk home!" She yelled as she ran out of the cabin.  
Owen hurried after her. "I'll be at the edge of our road."  
She rolled her eyes. "By the big, tree, I know."  
"One minute late and I'm coming after you. Then I get to bring you to school tomorrow in her robe and slippers." He warned, nodding in my direction.  
Her eyes widened at the image. "Straight home, got it. I can still walk with Annie, right?"  
He nodded.  
"Yes!" She ran over to me and I held her backpack out just in time for her to grab it and continue running towards my car.  
"See you guys later." Owen spoke too low for Maisie to hear, his hand laid flat against my stomach.  
"You do know that it's the size of a spec of dust, right?"  
He shrugged, "He's still a baby."  
I raised an eyebrow. "He?"  
"I demanded boys, remember? There's no way my guys would let me down."  
"You're impossible." I rolled my eyes and turned towards the car.  
"I'm telling you!" He called after me.  
"Get back to work!" I yelled over my shoulder before getting in the car.  
"Did you know Annie's road is right on the other side of our property? We were talking about asking Dad to make a trail so we can go back and forth to each other's houses." Maisie said as we pulled out of our street.  
"You and Annie seem to have become good friends."  
"Yeah! She is so cool, She says her mom knows Dad."  
I glanced over at her. "How?"  
"She owns the bar in town. When Annie told her mom my last name is Grady she asked if my dad was Owen."  
"Oh," I tried not to show my anger.  
My knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel to try and keep my emotions in line.  
"Do you know her mom's name?" I asked though clenched teeth.  
She thought for a moment. "Karen, I think."  
I didn't say anything else. Maisie didn't catch my attitude change and I did my best to smile as she got out of the car.  
"Bye!" She waved and skipped over to a blond haired girl that must be Annie.  
I watched her wave to the car in front of me.  
"Mercedes…" I grumbled to myself. "Of course she'd drive the same car I used to have. Though this one was black."  
I drove to the office with images of Owen spending way too many nights at the bar. I shuddered at the image of him drunk and his arms around a tall blond woman. It didn't occur to me what he did during our time apart. At least it didn't until now.  
When I walked into my office there was a fairly large bouquet of flowers sitting in the center of my desk.  
"You and Owen have a fight?" Amanda asked, coming up behind me.  
I shook my head. "No." At least not until I got home tonight and asked him about this Karen woman."Who sent these?"  
I knew this wasn't something Owen would do. He always grumbled and laughed at these scenes in the movies when a guy surprises a woman with flowers. To him it's a waste of money to get flowers that will die in a few days.  
I've always agreed with him on it. Flowers were something you send for a funeral.  
Amanda shrugged. "They were here when we got here."  
I grabbed the card to see who sent them.  
 _You're in way over your head, Claire. Watch your back._  
I spun around and stormed out of my office.  
"Who sent them?" Amanda hurried after me.  
"Did anyone see who delivered the flowers on my desk?" I called out.  
Heads peeked out of the cubicles and everyone looked blankly at the other as murmurs filled the room.  
"What flowers?"  
"No one delivered anything."  
I turned to look back at Amanda. "You said they were here when you came in?"  
She nodded.  
"Who was here before you?" I demanded.  
"Franklin." She said, pointing to his door.  
I barreled into his office, making him jump up and stumble over his chair. "Jeez, Claire! Ever heard of knocking!"  
"Who delivered the flowers that are on my desk?"  
"They were there when I got here. I figured you were here already and put them there."  
Franklin, myself and Amanda were the only ones who had keys to the office. I did have a spare set for when Zia came back, but they never left the van.  
"What's going on?" Amanda grabbed my arm.  
"Owen didn't send them."  
"Secret admirer?" She smirked.  
I shook my head, "No, Amanda. This is a threat."  
"What?" Murmurs echoed around me.  
"Should we call the cops?"  
"No…" I chewed on my bottom lip.  
"Want me to call Owen?" Franklin offered.  
"Oh, God, no. He'll flip. I'll handle it." I knew not telling Owen was a mistake, but knowing him, I'd be locked in the van for mine and the baby's protection.  
"Thanks, guys. Back to work." I said as calmly as I could.  
Shutting myself in my office I sat starring at the bouquet of flowers. They were an assortment of flowers, meaning someone took time putting it together. There was no company name, so there was no way to track down the shop they could have came from.  
Not wanting to leave my office I grabbed my phone and called Franklin.  
"What do you need?" He answered on the first ring.  
"Grab Art and come to my office." I said and hung up.  
Within seconds there was a knock on my door.  
"I need you guys to set up security cameras on the entire floor."  
They both nodded. "I need it done right now."  
I held up the credit card that was linked to the DPG funds and Franklin grabbed it.  
"We're on it." He said and they hurried out of my office.  
Reaching for my phone once more I called the main desk downstairs.  
"Hi, Cam, this is Claire."  
"Oh, hi! What can I help you with?"  
I took a deep breath. "Are there cameras in the lobby?"  
"There is… is everything ok?"  
"Is there any way you can have footage sent to my IT guy? We had an unexpected delivery and I'm just trying to pinpoint delivery time this morning."  
"Of course, though I've been here all morning and haven't seen anything go up to your floor."  
"Are you sure?" I asked her.  
"Positive, Claire. Every delivery has to be signed in."  
"Thank you, Cam. If you could just send any footage from the last twelve hours, that would be great."  
"Of course, let me know if you need anything more."  
I hung up and leaned back in my chair. Whoever brought these flowers were able to get by the front desk and into the office, but there was no way they would get by the cameras.


	23. Chapter 23

The sun had set and Franklin and I were still going over the footage from the lobby.  
"Does he have flowers?" He asked and leaned over my shoulder to point to a man walking across my computer screen.  
I shook my head. "No, the box he's carrying is too small for this." I poked at the vase, wanting to throw it across the room.  
"What about him?" He pointed at someone else.  
I huffed loudly, "No, Franklin! That's just a jacket he's carrying."  
"Her?"  
"No!" I jumped to my feet and paced the floor behind my desk.  
"Sorry, Claire. There's nothing here."  
"Look at it again!" I yelled.  
He raised his eyebrows and stepped in my path. I stopped in front of him, daring him to start an argument.  
"Check again!" I demanded.  
He slowly shook his head. "Claire, we've been looking at the same footage for five hours. There's nothing."  
"Then how did they get up here? We're on the tenth floor!"  
He shrugged. "I wish I had an answer for you."  
"I'll look myself." I snapped and pushed by him to take my seat again.  
His hand laid over mine as I gripped the mouse. "Whoever this is was able to get around the cameras. We have to check if there are any blind spots. We will figure this out."  
I was only half listening as I scanned the computer screen for flowers, or something large enough that could carry them inside.  
"I'm going to call Owen." He reached in his pocket for his phone.  
I grabbed it and put it on my desk. "No. He'll completely freak out. I can handle this. Call Cam downstairs and see if there are any entrances where there's no cameras."  
He nodded and reached for his phone before walking out of the room.  
Finally alone, I searched through the footage once more.  
An hour later Franklin was back, knocking on my open door.  
"What did she say?" I asked, not looking up from my computer screen.  
He sighed heavily and I finally looked up at him. "There's one entrance in back that is a fire exit. There's no camera pointing to it because there's no handle to it from the outside. Cam checked the door and it was closed. Didn't look like anyone tampered with it.  
"But that's a start!" At least we know what door they came in. "What about the stairs?" I asked. The elevator was in the cameras view in the lobby, but the stairs were around the corner closer to the fire exit.  
He shook his head. "No cameras there."  
"Damn it!" I hissed. "Ok," I sighed. "Thank you for your help, Franklin. Go home. It's late."  
He reached out and patted my shoulder before turning to leave my office.  
I flipped open my notebook and started jotting down possible scenarios as to how someone could have gotten through the back door. The only logical one I could think of would be the night janitor propping the door open to take garbage out to the dumpster.  
There was a knock on my open door. I looked up to see Art.  
"Want me to wait? We're the only ones left."  
I shook my head. "My car is right out front. I'll be fine. I'd rather know I'm the only one in here while I lock up. Thanks though."  
He stared at me for a moment.  
"I'll be leaving soon." I picked up my phone and waved it in the air. "I'll call if I need anything."  
"Ok," he sighed and waved. "Have a good night."  
"Thanks!" I called after him. "You, too."  
Turning to my computer, I clicked through each camera view to make sure they were all working.  
I caught Art on the camera by the main doors leading out to the elevator. My heart pounded in my chest. I was alone.  
"Stupid," I grumbled to myself. I wasn't sure if I was calling myself stupid for being so scared, or that I was dumb for sending Art away.  
My phone buzzed beside me, making me jump. It was a text from an unknown number.  
 _Get my flowers?_  
With shaky hands I replied. _Who is this?_  
 _You know me._  
 _Henry?_ Knowing we were searching for him I couldn't help but think maybe he just didn't want to be found.  
 _Close._  
 _What do you want?_  
 _I want you to stop your search for Blue. She no longer is your concern._  
I dropped my phone onto my desk and leaned back in my chair.  
Whoever this was must know we are close to finding her and Henry. There was no way I was going to stop. Not if it meant we would find Blue and set her free.  
It was a few minutes before my phone buzzed again.  
 _You better get home. You wouldn't want to worry your family. Besides you really think you're safe sitting there by yourself?_  
Immediately following the text the heavy stairway door slammed shut, echoing through the large room outside my office.  
I screamed, clapping my hands over my mouth.  
My eyes shot to the computer screen and the door to the stairwell was indeed closed, but was it closed before? It should have been… I couldn't remember.  
With shaky hands I flipped through my contacts until I found Owen's name.  
As the phone rang in my ear I fought to keep my breathing normal.  
"Hey, you on your way?" He asked when he answered.  
"Hey—" My voice squeaked and I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hey, um… Yeah, I'm leaving now." I covered my eyes with my free hand. I was failing miserably at trying to sound normal.  
Owen picked up on it immediately. "What is it?" His voice was low.  
"Can you just stay on the phone with me until I get to my car?"  
"Of course… Why?"  
I took a deep breath and hurried to collect my keys and purse before rushing out of my office.  
"I'm just being paranoid." I assured him. "The office is dark and it's freaking me out."  
He laughed. "Ok, then. Where exactly are you?"  
"Walking towards the elevator."  
"Ok."  
I pressed the button to call the elevator and glanced over my shoulder.  
The water pipes creaked in the ceiling and I pressed my back against the wall. "Talk to me, Owen." I begged.  
"Whoa, you really are freaked out. What has you so jumpy?"  
I wracked my brain for a lie. "I don't know, probably just my hormones."  
Luckily that was a lie he would have to buy. He wouldn't know the difference.  
"Oh, well there ya go. You're freaking yourself out for nothing!"  
The elevator doors opened and I hurried inside.  
"So what do you want to talk about?" Owen asked.  
My mind immediately went to my conversation with Maisie this morning. "Karen."  
"Your sister?"  
"No, your little friend from the bar in town is Maisie's friend, Annie's mother."  
"That Karen… yes, she owns the bar… Wait," Owen paused. "What about her?"  
"You tell me."  
The elevator reached the lobby and I stepped out. My panic replaced with aggravation as I listened to Owen stutter.  
"It's nothing, Claire. It never was anything. She owns the only bar within a ten minute drive. I did a lot of drinking to try and forget you. She'd be working a lot of nights I came in. Some nights I couldn't even step foot in the van knowing you weren't in there. Actually, Karen kept my hopes up that you would come back to me once the cabin was finished."  
I sighed and all emotions were gone. "Sorry," I mumbled.  
"I know I'm irresistible, but I'm yours, Babe. Always have been."  
I smiled at that. "Ok," I took a deep breath. "I'm in the car. I'll be home soon."  
"See, I can scare away the Boogie-man by just being on the phone."  
I rolled my eyes. "My hero."  
"Damn right!"  
I couldn't help but laugh. I hung up and hurried home.

 _ **Keep the reviews coming! You guys are awesome!**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**Here's the chapter some of you have been waiting for! Feel free to follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter! As always please keep those reviews coming! I can't express enough how all of your support keeps me motivated to keep writing! You guys rock!**_

Pulling up to the van I smiled when I saw Owen and Maisie through the small window. He was handing her plates as she set the table. I took a few minutes to make sure the stress and worry from the day's events weren't noticeable on my face.  
"There she is!" Owen smiled as soon as I walked in the door.  
"Good! Time to eat!" Maisie cheered, taking her seat.  
"You seem more relaxed." Owen pointed out as he handed me the bowl of spaghetti to put on the table.  
"Yeah," I sighed, looking up and smiling at him. Though I was freaked out the entire way home, hoping another text wouldn't pop up, or panicked every time a car followed me a little too long before turning onto another street. Being here I felt as safe as I could be. "I'm fine now. Thanks." It wasn't a lie.  
He leaned over the table to kiss me before taking his seat.  
Maisie sat at the table watching me poke at the meatball on my plate. "You still not feeling good?" She asked when I huffed and pushed the plate away.  
Owen's homemade meatballs were always my favorite, but the smell of them were starting to get to me.  
I did my best to smile at her. "Just full."  
"You didn't eat anything." She pointed at my untouched plate of pasta.  
"Claire," Owen said softly. I looked up to meet his eyes.  
He nodded in her direction and I shook my head. I was not ready to tell her.  
Owen took a deep breath and put his fork down. "She's not sick, kiddo."  
"Oh," She questioned and leaned her elbows on the table. "Then what is it?"  
"Well…" Owen started and motioned for me to make my announcement.  
I glared at Owen before turning to face Maisie. "I am…" I gestured towards Owen, "I mean we are…" I trailed off again not too sure how I wanted to break it to her. "You are… um…"  
"She's pregnant." Owen blurted out, shoving his fork into his mouth. "Was that so hard?"  
My mouth hung open, matching Maisie's as we both stared at him.  
"Wait," Maisie finally said. "You are having a baby?"  
I took a sip of my water and nodded. "You're going to be a big sister."  
"Where is it?" She asked.  
I was taken aback by her question. Suddenly I realized just how sheltered she was and I knew this was going to be one of many questions. Especially after learning she was a clone. Unlike most kids who would automatically know being pregnant meant a woman was having the baby. There was a whole other world of possibilities in Maisie's mind.  
I leaned back in my seat and laid both my hands on my stomach.  
"Does that mean you had sex?" She wondered.  
I raised my eyebrows. I guess she did know more than I thought.  
Owen choked on his food and shoved his plate away. "Who wants dessert?"  
Was he really going to make me have this conversation on my own? He was the one that started it!  
Luckily she asked another question. "Why is it making you sick?"  
This question I could answer. "It's just part of being pregnant. Some days I will be fine and some I won't be feeling too well, but it's all normal. It's not the baby's fault." I could remember when my sister was pregnant with Zach. She was pretty much sick the entire time. I winced at the memory.  
"Does it hurt?"  
I couldn't help but laugh. "No, I feel normal." I shrugged, "Besides the random waves of nausea. That gets a little annoying."  
She smiled at that. "How do you think I was born? I'm a clone. I didn't come from a mom and dad."  
I looked at Owen for help. He seemed to be eager to answer this question.  
He sat back down at the table, pushing a jar of cookies in Maisie's direction and looked directly at her. "Remember when you saw the videos of me with Blue when she was little?"  
Maisie nodded.  
"Well, she was born in the lab along with her sisters. Being born in the lab is just as special as being born the natural way. You know some parents out there can't have a baby on their own, so a lab will take the parents'… ingredients… and put them together outside of the mom's belly and then place the baby in a surrogate's uterus to grow the baby for the parents. Not all babies are conceived like this." he waved his hand between him and myself.  
I smiled at Owen's attempt to make her feel more comfortable. "You see," I took over for Owen and giggled as I caught him swipe the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping off the droplets of sweat that formed there. "Not all babies are conceived and born the same way. Like Dad said, some are born by surrogate, some are born and raised by their parents and some are born and given up for adoption. It doesn't matter where you came from, we love you just as much as this little one." I gestured towards my stomach again.  
Maisie smiled and leaned in to hug me. "Why do you still look the same?"  
Owen snorted. "Give it a few more months."  
I kicked him under the table.  
"The baby will grow." I told her.  
"Grandpa's library has many books, but none about babies or where they come from." She shrugged. "I only know what I've seen in movies."  
"It's ok to ask questions." I told her. "You know you can ask us anything."  
She looked down at her hands before looking up at Owen and I with tears sparking in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "What will happen to me now?"  
"Well, as a big sister, you'll be able to help with the baby. I think you'll be a great sister." Owen told her.  
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "I can still stay?"  
I pulled her against me, hugging her tight. "You're just as much ours as this baby is. I see no difference. You may have entered our lives in a different way, but we're a family now. You made us parents first, not this baby. As an older sibling you'll have the ability to help guide and protect the baby. It's ok to feel a little scared. My parents told me that my sister was not happy she was no longer an only child. But she grew to tolerate me."  
Maisie laughed at that.  
"Growing up the little sister, I always knew I had someone that always had my back no matter what. I bet you can be that big sister to this baby."  
She blinked and her tears broke free. I was quick to wipe them away. Smiling up at me she nodded. "I think I can be a good sister."  
I winked at her. "We've got a lot of planning to do. Can you help us?"  
"Yes." Her smile grew and the tears gone from her eyes.  
"What does it look like?" She wondered, looking down at my non existent stomach.  
"Here, look." I grabbed my phone and searched for a gestational calendar. "This is the stages the baby will go through before he or she is born."  
"He!" Owen corrected. "Before _he_ is born."  
I rolled my eyes.  
"Do you think I looked like that?" She asked, pointing to the pictures.  
I nodded. "Yes. Being a clone doesn't mean you didn't go through all the stages of a normal fetus. It just means you were created with someone else's DNA instead of being conceived naturally. You're still one hundred percent a person, born and living just like everyone else."  
"Ok," Maisie smiled. I could see the whole world lift off her tiny shoulders as she leaned into my side. She took my phone and flipped through the pictures.  
Watching her look through the images my heart pounded in my chest. I was just getting used to being a mom to a nine year old child. How was I supposed to handle two kids?  
We said goodnight to Maisie and I was happy she was finished drilling us with questions.  
"That went better than I thought." I sighed, curling into Owen's side.  
He kissed the top of my head. "See, you overthink things way too much."  
I shrugged. "I'm a planner. I can't help it."  
"Certainly didn't plan this." He laid his hand on my stomach.  
I groaned. "I'm not going to do well with this, Owen."  
"Sure you will. You do great with Maisie. You're a natural."  
I shook my head. "That's not what I mean. I'm not worried about the parenting part. It's this," I waved my hand towards my center. "I no longer have any control over anything. That's not how I work. The whole reason I never really wanted kids was because I would have to give up my body for nine months and then be a feeding station for the next year."  
"You've made adjustments with Maisie, you'll make adjustments for the baby as well. I have no doubt you'll forget all about control once you start feeling those tiny kicks."  
I reached up and touched his cheek. "I never realized you wanted to have kids this much."  
He smiled and leaned into my touch. "Neither did I, until I heard Maisie call you Mom."  
I leaned in to kiss him and whispered against his lips, "You're a great man and an even better father."


	25. Chapter 25

**_OOOOHH... things are getting interesting! Please review! If I get enough reviews I may just post the next chapter tomorrow!_**

Since Zia was due back today, I went to grab the office keys for her. Starring at the spot they were supposed to be, they were gone.  
I peeked out of the room and found Maisie packing her backpack for school. "Maisie, have you seen the keys for Zia?"  
She looked up and shook her head. "No, what keys?"  
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "The keys to the office."  
She shrugged. "Nope."  
"Finish getting ready and I'll meet you in the car." I tossed her my car keys and ducked out the van's door.  
"Owen!" I called out as I climbed the steps to the front porch of the cabin.  
I could hear him singing to himself as he worked on putting up the drywall in the master bedroom.  
"Owen," I said again, following the sound of his voice.  
"Yeah?" He asked then continued his singing.  
"Have you seen the keys to the office that were for Zia? I had them on the shelf near where you keep your wallet."  
He poked his head around the corner so I could see him shaking it. "No, I thought maybe you moved them. They haven't been there for a few days."  
"Why would I move them?"  
"You tell me…"  
"I didn't touch them!" I didn't mean to sound as panicked as I felt.  
Owen pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and walked around the corner to stand in front of me.  
"Ok… I'm sure they're in the van somewhere." His gaze focused on my face, cautious at my reaction.  
I was careful to keep my voice calm when I spoke again. "Maisie has my car keys. Can you bring her to school please. I need to find them so I can give them to Zia."  
His eyes narrowed. He was only half buying my story.  
I held up a hand to stop him from prying. "Please. She's going to be late."  
He wiped his hands on his jeans, unhooked his tool belt and reached for his shirt. His eyes never left mine.  
I stepped aside to allow him space to move by me, dropping my eyes to the floor.  
He stood for a moment and I could feel him trying to read my thoughts. When he understood I was not going to look him in the eye he dropped his tool belt at my feet and walked towards the front door.  
"Thank you!" I called after him.  
"I'll be right back." He said over his shoulder.  
I heard him talking to Maisie, asking her for my keys. She insisted that she could walk to school, but since Annie only walked home in the afternoon, that was when we allowed Maisie to walk. The car started and they drove away.  
I ran back to the van, falling to my knees in front of the shelf embedded in the wall on Owen's side of the bed. I felt around on the floor for the keys hoping they may have fallen when Owen reached for his wallet one morning.  
They weren't on the floor and I moved to look under the bed. The legs were nailed into the floor, so there was no way to push it out of the way to search under it. Shrugging out of my blazer, I laid on my stomach to search the cluttered space. Since Maisie didn't have a dresser, most of her clothes were in bins under the bed. I shoved them out and felt around the dark space hoping my fingers would come in contact with the keys.  
"What are you doing?"  
Owen's voice made me jump, and being cramped in the small space, I smacked the back of my head against the bed above me.  
"Oh," Owen mumbled when he heard my head come in contact with the metal frame. "Didn't mean to scare you. You ok?"  
"I'm fine." I said, rubbing the back of my head. "I'm trying to find the key for Zia."  
"Did you find them?"  
"No, can you check the bins of Maisie's clothes? Maybe they fell in when she was looking for an outfit."  
I felt him sit by my legs and shuffle through her clothes.  
Both of us sat on the floor in the middle of the small room. Every piece of our van torn apart.  
"You must have brought them to the office with you." Owen suggested, tossing an empty bin in the pile of items we searched through.  
"I didn't."  
"They'll show up." He patted my shoulder before getting to his feet.  
I followed his motions as we began to clean up the mess we made.  
My phone dinged informing me of an incoming text.  
Digging through the pile of clothes, I retrieved my phone from the bottom.  
 _You must be looking for these because you're late for work_. The picture below the words were of the keys sitting in the exact spot I knew I left them.  
"No," I gasped, turning and slumping down on the bed. Whoever has been sending threats to me was in here. They took the key and got into the office to deliver the flowers and the note.  
"Who is it?" Owen asked, his words slow and cautious.  
I looked up at him, meeting his gaze and this time I didn't hide the panic that was there. "I don't know." I whispered.  
He took a step towards me, that's all it took for him to be standing over me. "What do you mean?"  
I kept my eyes locked on his and slowly handed him my phone so he could look through the past tests. "I mean I don't know."  
His finger swept through the messages twice before tossing the phone across the room.  
I jumped when I heard it clatter against the wall somewhere behind me.  
"Someone's threatening you and you didn't tell me?" His voice so loud the van's walls shook.  
I stood up so I was face to face with him. "I didn't think it was this serious."  
"Serious? Someone was in our home!" He yelled "Someone threatened you!"  
"We have the office under surveillance." I knew that wasn't going to make him feel better, but I had to let him know I was at least attempting to handle the situation.  
"Let's go." He held his arm out, motioning towards the door.  
"Where?"  
"I sure as hell know you're not going to listen to me if I tell you you're staying here."  
I nodded in agreement. That was the whole reason I didn't want to tell him in the first place.  
"So I follow you."  
"The cabin?"  
He shook his head and fished my car keys out of his pocket. "Not important at the moment."  
"Yes it is! I'm not living out of this van forever Owen. We need our own space. This kid isn't going to wait just because something came up and you can't finish the cabin."  
He reached up and pressed his palms to his temples. "What good would the cabin be if something happened to you?" He reached for my hips and looked down at my stomach. "To both of you."  
"I told you, the office is secure."  
"Yeah, a key in the hands of whoever is threatening you? I don't see that as secure."  
I crossed my arms against my chest and stared hard into his eyes. This was always my way of letting him know I was standing my ground.  
He seemed to remember because he followed my motion and raised an eyebrow, challenging me. "I don't leave your side, or you don't leave this van."  
I gave a slight laugh. This made him narrow his eyes. "The moment you finish that cabin I will marry you." I countered.  
He rolled his eyes and my mouth fell open with a pop. "Tempting, but my offer still stands."  
"I don't need you to protect me!"  
"Fine!" His voice boomed. "Then I'm protecting our kid."  
"I think I have that covered."  
"Claire," He moaned, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.  
My phone rang from the far corner of the van. I stood glued to my spot, not wanting to back down from our battle. The ringing stopped and it was another minute before it rang again. Owen glanced down when my fingers twitched with need to answer it.  
With a growl he walked passed me to hunt for my phone.  
"What?" he barked into the speaker answering the phone on the third call. He was silent as he listened to whoever was on the other end. "We'll be there."  
He crossed the tight space and handed me my phone. "Looks like you have a hit on Wu's whereabouts."  
I held my hand out. "Give me my keys."  
He turned to walk out the door. "I will, as soon as I get in the car."  
"Owen!" I called after him.  
"Don't worry, you can drive." He turned and tossed the keys at me when he knew he had enough of a head start.  
Catching the keys, I turned to lock the van, knowing this was a first. We were out in the middle of nowhere, the road leading to the cabin was a dirt road, not many people knew we existed back here. There was never a need to lock the van.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Thanks for all the reviews for last chapter! As promised here's today's update! Don't hate me by the end of the chapter ;) hahaha! PLEASE REVIEW! You guys are awesome!**_

"What else is going on?" Owen asked once I pulled out on the main road.  
I glanced at him quickly before focusing back on the road. "What?"  
"The flowers and texts. Is that all?"  
I nodded.  
He was silent for a moment and I saw him out of the corner of my eyes. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought. "Wait," he finally said. "Last night when you called me… it wasn't your hormones freaking you out, was it?"  
I bit my lip and shook my head.  
"Were you being followed?" He turned in his seat so he was fully facing me. "Was someone there with you?"  
"No. No one was there. I sent Art home ahead of me. It was just him and I in the office. There was no one there."  
"What made you call me? You were freaked out, Claire."  
"It was nothing, I'm sure. It was right after I got the texts. The noises in the office just creeped me out."  
He sighed and leaned back against the seat.  
We arrived at the DPG office. I led the way towards the elevator and Cam hurried over to me.  
"There was just a delivery dropped off. It was addressed to you personally." She said and motioned back to her desk.  
Owen pushed passed me to follow Cam to her desk. She looked at me for approval to give it to him. I nodded and she handed the envelope over.  
"Safe here, huh?" He asked when he walked back over to me.  
I reached out for the envelope and he took my hand instead and led me to the elevator.  
"Can I have it?" I asked when the elevator doors closed.  
"Not a chance."  
"You do know that it's illegal to open someone else's mails, right?" I asked and folded my arms against my chest.  
"So sue me."  
I rolled my eyes.  
As soon as the elevator doors closed he pulled out his pocket knife and cut through the tape sealing the envelope shut.  
He swore under his breath and his eyes shot up to look at me.  
"What is it?" I asked, leaning over to look inside the envelope.  
I pulled the picture out. It was of Blue in a cage. By the looks of it she was not happy with whoever took the picture. Her mouth was open and I could almost hear her growling. Starring at the picture, I turned it over to check the back.  
 _You don't want to hurt her, so stop trying to find her. She doesn't belong to you… like that clone in your care. You declined my offer and now you must suffer the consequences._  
I looked up at Owen who was reading the note along with me.  
"What offer?" His eyes searched mine, trying to find the answer before I was able to speak.  
"It's Wyatt." I stammered. "All of this… it's Wyatt."  
"What offer?" Owen's hands were shaking as his anger rippled through him.  
"The night you saw him outside with me. He wanted me to join him. I don't know what it meant and I didn't ask. That's when he questioned if Maisie was really our daughter."  
"Ok," He scratched the back of his head and nodded to himself. "Ok," he said again.  
I opened my mouth to ask him what he was thinking about, but the elevator doors opened and he took my hand, leading me through the rows of cubicles. I could hear murmurs as people looked up from their desks wondering why I was being pulled quickly behind Owen.  
"Hey!" Franklin smiled when Owen and I walked into his office. "We have three emails and one phone call saying they have seen Wu. They all lead to the old site in San Diego where they brought the T-Rex years ago. Guess they figured hiding in plain sight would work. That came back to bite them in the ass." Franklin snorted.  
"Great," Owen growled and threw my phone on his desk. "Do what you can to see where the unknown number on these texts came from. I could give two shits about Wu right now. I want Wyatt."  
"No," I squeezed Owen's hand, but he didn't look back at me.  
"Wyatt?" Franklin questioned.  
"Yeah," Owen let go of my hand, placing both palms on Franklin's desk, he leaned over so his eyes were even with his. "I want him in front of me, now."  
"Yes, sir." Franklin took my phone and plugged in into his computer.  
"Violence isn't going to solve this!" I tried reasoning with him as we walked towards my office.  
"Who said anything about violence? I'm going to skip the foreplay and just go in for the kill."  
Owen closed the door to my office and I turned just as his arms wound around me.  
"So you're going to commit murder. I'd rather you just stick with violence." I did my best to smile and reached up on my toes to kiss his chin. "You like foreplay." I winked, trying to lighten the mood.  
He sighed and cupped my face in his hands. "This is serious, Claire. Do we even know what this asshole is capable of?"  
I sighed and shrugged. "No idea. He's always been an asshole, but not to this extent. I would have never guessed he was working for Henry. He hated being in the lab during the internship. I did blackmail him back then. I needed answers I knew he wouldn't just give me. He knows Henry wants Blue just as much as we do, so my guess is he will do anything to get back at me."  
"Money talks," Owen grumbled and nodded towards my desk. "You have links to the cameras downstairs?"  
I shook my head. "I can have Cam send the footage from this morning to Franklin."  
He looked around my office and his eyes found me again. His arms reached out and gripped mine before he leaned in to kiss me. "Do not leave this office."  
"Where are you going?"  
"I'll be right back."  
"Where are you going?" I repeated.  
"I'm going to see who delivered the picture. Check out those emails that came in about Wu."  
I nodded and sat in my chair. Owen's eyes fell on the vase of flowers still sitting on my desk. "I didn't have a chance to get rid of them yet." I quickly told him.  
He grabbed them and walked out of my office.  
I watched him on one of the cameras, he met Amanda at her desk and sat down to talk to her. I knew he must be asking her more questions about Wyatt and the internship. They both glanced back towards my office and she nodded. He dropped the vase of flowers into her trash can before he disappeared into Franklin's office.  
As soon as he was gone, Amanda got up and walked towards my door. She sat down against the wall opposite the door.  
"What?" I asked myself. I got up and opened my door.  
She jumped to her feet and pointed towards Franklin's office. "He told me to tell him if you left your office."  
"I don't need a babysitter!" I yelled.  
"I'm only doing this because… well… I'm sorry, but he's too gorgeous to disobey."  
"It's a lot easier than you think." I winked and stepped around her.  
"What are you doing!" She hurried after me.  
I shrugged, "I'm thirsty."  
She followed me into the break room and I grabbed two waters, handing her one.  
"You have your drink, can we go back to your office?"  
I smiled at her as I took a sip of my water. "Will you relax?"  
"No! Have you seen his eyes? He has that look… you know… that look where he could ask anything and you're under this spell! You have no choice but to give him what he wants."  
I raised an eyebrow, sipping my water again. "You need a moment alone?"  
"With him?" She squeaked.  
I shook my head and laughed. "I don't share."  
She laughed at that and quickly fell serious. "Come on, back to the office."  
I snorted. "You don't want to disappoint your master."  
"Come on," she urged, "he's really worried about you."  
"I know, but he needs to trust me."  
She didn't answer. Instead she motioned back towards my office. I let her win and sat back down behind my desk. She sat in one of the chairs on the other side and took a deep breath.  
"So what's going on?"  
"It's Wyatt. I think he's working for Henry. They have Blue."  
She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm so sorry. When he contacted us he really seemed like he wanted to help you."  
"It's not your fault." I reassured her.  
She nodded and looked down at her hands. "It feels like it is. We brought him here."  
"He always thought he was the badass," I snorted. "he just hasn't really met Owen yet. He's pissed and you don't want to be the one he's pissed at."  
Her eyes widened as she nodded. "I am beginning to see that."  
"Does your daughter have his temper?" Amanda giggled.  
I smiled down at my hands. "Sometimes." It wasn't a lie. "Oh, hold on."  
I grabbed my desk phone and dialed the school's number.  
"Hi, this is Claire Dearing," I said once someone picked up the phone, "I'm calling in regards to my daughter, Maisie Grady, her father will be picking her up from school today, she's not to walk home." I informed the secretary. There was no way she needs to be walking home right now.  
"Her stepfather picked her up an hour ago… Ms. Dearing you gave the ok—"  
 _"Stepfather?"_ I shrieked in the phone. "I didn't authorize anyone to pick her up!"  
Amanda was out of her seat and running down the hall.  
"There was a letter… Should we call the authorities?"  
Owen barreled into my office, panting with rage. I gripped the edge of my desk, trying to keep my head from spinning. I felt nauseous.  
"No, it must have been a misunderstanding. I will handle it, thank you and sorry for the mixup."  
I slammed the phone down and stood up quickly. A little too quickly for my stomach. I clapped my hand over my mouth and Owen was there with my trash can.  
"He has Maisie!" I cried.


	27. Chapter 27

Owen rubbed my back until I pushed the trash can away. "Let's go." I moved around the small crowd that assembled in my office.  
"Not you!" Owen reached out for my arm and pulled me back. He searched the faces of the people in my office, not wanting to out our secret.  
I narrowed my eyes, was he really going to attempt to go get Maisie on his own? I opened my mouth to protest, but he looked over my shoulder.  
"Will you excuse us, please."  
There were murmurs of agreements and the door closed behind the group.  
"I need to go." I said as soon as we were alone.  
Owen shook his head, his eyes on my stomach.  
I shoved away from him and my hands went to my hips. "See!" I yelled. "This is what's so damn frustrating! I'm pregnant, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of helping you or protecting Maisie."  
"Please," Owen's voice was sincere. "I know this is fucked up right now. I get it, but I need to know the two of you are safe so I can focus on Maisie."  
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "You wouldn't be saying that if I wasn't carrying your child! I was chased by a T-Rex, I've had guns pointed at me, I've survived a dinosaur attack without you… I'm more than capable of protecting our unborn child while saving our daughter and I'll kick ass doing it!"  
Owen smiled, his shoulders relaxing. "I don't doubt your abilities. I know I'm not going to explain this well, without you taking it the wrong way, but…" he trailed off, shrugging, "there's an instinct that exploded in me the moment you showed me the positive test." His hands gripped my hips and he knelt down so he was level with my center. He leaned in and kissed my stomach. "This baby is a part of both of us. I'd go absolutely mental if something happened to him and you." He stood up and sighed heavily. "We aren't going to agree on this, but you're staying here."  
This was one fight I knew I wasn't going to win. Knowing this, I kept my mouth shut and sat in the leather chair in front of my desk. Burying my face in my hands I forced myself to keep the tears from falling. Refusing to let Wyatt have that control over me.  
Owen's lips crushed against mine. "I'll bring her back." He whispered and hurried out of my office.  
I shut my door behind him and paced the floor. It was a few minutes before the need to help took over. This wasn't me. This isn't who I am. "I can't do this." I said to myself and hurried out of my office towards Franklin's. "Give me my phone." I demanded.  
He did as I asked, without hesitation.  
I took it and returned to my office. Opening my messages I clicked on Wyatt's last message to me and hit reply: _Big mistake_. I sent it and shoved my phone in my pocket.  
"I'm going down for coffee, anyone want anything?" I asked when I saw Amanda and Zia watching me walk across the office.  
Zia was one her feet and I knew Owen filled her in before he left. "There's coffee in the break room."  
"I want Starbucks."  
"I'll go." She reached in her bag for some cash. "My treat."  
"No thank you, I want some fresh air."  
"Yeah, it's a little stuffy in here. I'll come and we can go get coffee together." She pressed.  
I pressed my hands to my temples. "Enough, Zia! I am not the target right now. I can handle going outside on my own. Besides, Owen has my car. I'm stuck here."  
Before anyone could say anything I spun towards the elevator and slammed my hand down on the call button.  
I let out my breath I didn't realize I was holding once the elevator doors shut. There was no way I was out of the woods yet. Knowing I would probably have a few minutes before someone came looking for me, I called a cab and sat on a bench to make it look like I was actually just out for fresh air.  
The cab pulled up and I gave the woman the address to the cabin. It seemed to take forever to get back to the van, but luckily I had a cab driver that obeyed my demand to get me there as soon as possible.  
Running into the van I found Owen's keys to his truck and climbed on the bed to reach the top shelf. I pulled the gun safe down and punched in Owen's passcode. Grabbing the gun, I loaded it and ran for the truck.  
Sneaking into the facility was easier than I thought. I held the gun out in front of me and stalked the dark halls, trying to steady my shaky hands.  
I could hear growling echoing somewhere towards the end of the hall and hoped that was Blue. If not there were other dinosaurs being held here.  
My heart pounded in my chest as I crept closer to the noise.  
"Will you shut up!" Wyatt's voice boomed through the empty halls. Making me freeze and press my back against the wall.  
"My dad is going to kick your ass!" Maisie yelled just as loud as he did.  
I shoved away from the wall and picked up my pace. I couldn't help but smile at the confidence she held.  
"He's not your dad, clone. You're nothing but a lab rat now."  
My growl matched Blue's. I lifted the gun, my finger ready on the trigger as I came close to the end of the hall.  
There was a sound behind me, but before I could react, a hand clapped over my mouth. "What the _hell_ are you doing, _Claire_!" Owen's lips were against my ear.  
He let me turn in his arms and I gasped. He clearly was in a fight, but the stolen gun in his hand let me know he won despite the black eye that was forming.  
"Give me that!" He hissed, taking his gun out of my hand and tucking into his jeans. "Stay behind me!" He gripped my arms tightly. "I swear, Claire. _Stay_ behind me."  
I nodded once. I was here with him, helping him. Following his directions now was not going to be a problem. Getting an ear full later was imminent, but I could handle that. Wouldn't be the first time I was on the opposite end of one of Owen's rage tantrums. This was worth it. Maisie was worth it.  
"Get me samples." Wu's voice echoed in the empty space.  
"Get away!" Maisie shrieked.  
I pushed Owen forward and his arm shot out to stop me from running towards the sound of Maisie's struggles.  
Blue shrieked and her cage rattled.  
"Are they together?" I half gasped.  
Owen shook his head. "They're in separate cages, but across from each other. She's amazing she is…" he tailed off shaking his head.  
"Who?" I whispered.  
"Blue." He answered. "She's been freaking out when someone get's close to Maisie's cell."  
"How do you know?"  
"I was watching from the roof." He motioned to the windows lining the top of the hall we were walking down. "Until I saw your ass sneaking in. Damn it, Claire. Just once I'd like you to listen to me. You're already teaching this baby your bad habits."  
"You should know by now I don't sit around and wait."  
We snuck around the corner and I could see Maisie in her cell. She was pressed against the far wall, trying to hide as someone in a white lab coat unlocked her cell.  
"Leave me alone!" She yelled.  
Owen growled and I could see his shoulders shake. He turned quickly, shoving my shoulders into the wall behind me. "Stay here!" He hissed and turned towards Maisie, Wyatt and the lab worker. "Step away from my daughter." He warned.  
I could see Blue struggling against the bars, trying to get to Owen.  
Wyatt spun on his heels, startled by Owen's demand. "Oh!" He clapped his hands as if he was excited to see him. "I was expecting Claire to beat you here. You finally whipped her into shape?"  
Owen didn't answer him. He used the gun in his hands to smack him across his face.  
The lab worker turned away from Maisie to help Wyatt gang up on Owen.  
With the cell door still opened I shoved away from the wall to grab Maisie.  
"No!" Maisie screamed when fingers wrapped around my neck.  
The sound of struggles had Wu's men running towards us. We were outnumbered. I jabbed my elbows into the ribs of whoever was keeping me from Maisie.  
"This one is raptor food!" One of the men called out. I fought against him when he pressed my back against Blue's cage.  
I closed my eyes when I felt her snout press against the back of my head. She sniffed me, but made no attempt to try and get at me.  
Maisie stood frozen, our eyes locked on each other as another man reached for Blue's cage door.  
"I'll open and just shove her in." Someone said beside me. The blond haired man holding my against the bars smiled when my eyes met his.  
"Wyatt!" He called over his shoulder.  
I glanced over towards him and my eyes went wide. It was taking three men to hold Owen away from him.  
"Well, look here. History is about to repeat itself." He smirked and turned towards Owen, struggling against the three sets of hands holding him back.  
Wyatt shoved the guy away from the cage door. "I'll do the honors."  
"Should have been nicer to me." He hissed in my ear before opening the door just wide enough to shove me inside.  
Maisie's ear piercing scream had me closing my eyes as I tripped from the force of being shoved backwards and landing hard on my back.  
"Blue!" Owen's voice, demanding as he ordered her to look up at him.  
Something touched my shoulder and my eyes shot open. Blue was standing above me, the top of her head pressed against the cage door, fighting against a group of men who were trying to get it shut.  
Realizing I was not on the menu for Blue, I scrambled to my feet and took a chance. Trusting her, I pushed against the door beside her.  
Owen paused, his eyes locked on Blue as her and I fought side by side to get to the men on the other side.


	28. Chapter 28

Blue shifted her weight against the door and I twisted, shoving my shoulder hard against the bars. We were stronger than the men on the other side. I stumbled forward with the door and Blue stepped around me. Her eyes met mine and she purred before turning her gaze on the group of men now backing slowly away from us.  
"Mom!" Maisie pushed through the crowd. She ignored Owen's warning and ran by Blue to get to me.  
Ignoring the larger group, Blue had her gaze set on the ones who were holding onto Owen. They all shoved him forward and stepped back.  
My eyes met Owen's and I understood his unspoken plea. Maisie and I were to not move.  
Tucking Maisie behind me, I backed us up, taking advantage of no attention focused on us.  
One of the men arrived with a taser and reached for Blue.  
"Blue watch out!" Maisie called out.  
She turned at the sound of her name and leaped at her attacker.  
Maisie hid her face against my side.  
"What are you, a raptor whisperer?" Wyatt's voice beside me made me jump.  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "No…" I trailed off to glance at Owen. "just her alpha's mate." All Owen's stories were making sense. Owen's scent that Blue recognizes was strong on Maisie and I since we all lived together. She can sense the bond there. I never believed him until now.  
Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Oh, please."  
"It's true!" Maisie chimed in, still tucked into my side. "Have you seen her try and attack us?"  
He opened his mouth to speak, but the attacks around us were getting louder.  
Owen fought with one of the lab workers who had a tranquilizer gun. Blue helped him take him out.  
There was only one left, Wyatt locked his fingers around my arm.  
"What are you doing?" I shrieked, gaining Owen's attention.  
"It's over, Wyatt, let her go." Owen walked slowly over towards us, Blue flanking him. "Maisie come here," he motioned for her to stand behind him.  
She stayed at my side.  
"It's ok." I smiled down at her and she hurried over to Owen's protection.  
Blue stalked around Owen and Wyatt pulled me in front of him, using me as a shield.  
"If what you say is true, then it won't kill you to get to me." Wyatt was smug about his new plan.  
Owen stepped away from Blue as she continued her path towards us. Wyatt backed us up instinctively with each of her steps. His breath shaky on the back of my neck.  
My eyes stayed locked on Owen as he snuck closer to us. Wyatt was too focused on Blue to even notice him approaching us.  
One large step and Owen had his gun pointed at Wyatt, he poked his temple with it. "Let her go." His voice was low and cold.  
"Tell your beast to back off."  
Owen's free hand reached out for my wrist, his eyes dropped to Wyatt's hand still clasped around my arm.  
"Let her go." He said again. This time it was a warning.  
Wyatt's hand tightened and I hissed from the pain. Owen picked up on my reaction and he let go of my wrist to reach for Wyatt's neck.  
"I do believe you just signed your death wish. You really think causing her pain right now is going to help you?"  
I heard Wyatt choking for air behind me and his hand loosened on my arm. Taking advantage of the moment, I yanked my arm free and stepped towards the only spot I knew Owen would want me. Now directly behind him, Maisie rushed back over to me.  
Wyatt shoved against Owen and turned to run, but Blue was faster.  
Wyatt's scream sent shivers down my spine.  
"Gross," Maisie groaned beside me.  
"You ok?" Owen knelt in front of Maisie, his eyes studying every part of her body.  
She nodded and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck. "You came for me."  
He leaned back so he could see her face. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Of course!"  
She smiled at him and hugged him again.  
"How about you?" Owen asked as he stood up to face me. His hand reached out for my stomach. "That was a pretty hard fall."  
I nodded, my back throbbing and I knew there would be a fairly large bruise. "I'm fine."  
"Ok," he turned to face Blue, who was just turning away from her kill. I refused to look down at the mess and I reached out to cover Maisie's eyes with my hand.  
"Are you going to bring her to the sanctuary?" Maisie asked Owen. She didn't fight against my hand.  
"I'm going to try." He glanced down at the tranquilizer gun and Blue backed away from him, growling in protest. "Come on, Blue it's safe there."  
She continued to back away.  
"Blue." Owen warned, but she ran by us towards the exit. "Damn it!" Owen hissed, turning his gaze on me. "Why?" He shrugged, and brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head. "Three… three women in front of me and not a single one knows how to listen to me!"  
"I listen!" Maisie pointed out.  
Owen shrugged. "It's only a matter of time before this one rubs off on you."  
I rolled my eyes.  
"We've got a lot to discuss at home." He took my hand and reached for Maisie's with his other.  
"Am I in trouble?" Maisie asked.  
"Not as much as the one you call Mom."  
I took a deep breath, preparing myself to just take whatever Owen had to say. I wasn't going to argue with him. We got Maisie back and that's all I wanted.  
We stepped outside and Owen searched for any sign on Blue.  
"We'll capturer her and send her to the sanctuary." I promised Owen, squeezing his hand.  
He ignored me, his eyes already focused on something else. "You took my truck?"  
I shrugged. "You stole my car."  
He handed me my keys and held his hand out for his. Once we traded, he kept Maisie's hand in his and walked towards his truck. "I follow you." He called over his shoulder.  
I nodded and got in my car.  
Pulling into the driveway seemed odd. I glanced at the van and everything seemed normal.  
We walked silently into the van. I slumped down on the couch and Maisie curled up against my side. Owen leaned against the counter, his arms folded against his chest. I refused to look him in the eye.  
The silence was loud in my ears and I decided it was time for someone to say something. I took a deep breath and looked down at Maisie. "Why did you let Wyatt pick you up from school?"  
She shrugged and started fiddling with the hem of her shirt.  
"Maisie," Owen urged her to answer my question.  
She wiped a tear from her cheek and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Why didn't you say something?"  
"I was scared." She whispered.  
"The school would have contacted us right away if you just said the note he had was a lie." I told her.  
"I didn't know. They said he had a note from you. He said he picked you up and he was bringing me to you. I was scared. I didn't know if he really had you or not, so I just went." She sniffed and looked up at me. "What's a stepfather?"  
"He played it off that he was married to Claire. We have different last names, so the school assumed we were divorced."  
"Oh," Maisie looked from Owen to me. "But you're still getting married, right?"  
"Yes, sweetheart, what Wyatt did was all a lie."  
She nodded and settled back against my side. "I'm sorry."  
Owen shook his head. "Na, you're ok, kiddo, but you trust no one. There's this whole don't talk to strangers thing you've got to follow." She smiled up at him and nodded.  
He took a deep breath and his eyes fell on me. "How's your back?"  
I bit my bottom lip, not sure if I should lie or not.  
He sighed heavily and reached into the freezer for an ice pack. Kneeling in front of me I leaned towards him so he could reach behind me.  
"Thanks," I said, looking down at my hands.  
"When's your doctor's appointment?"  
"Not for another week."  
His eyes fell to my stomach. "You ok?"  
"I'm fine Owen, the baby is fine."  
"This is serious, Claire. Do you even understand the amount of guilt I would carry with me if something happened to you? I can't believe you did that." He brought his hands up to press his palms against his temples. "I'm just—I gotta…" He trailed off with a shake of his head. "I'm going to work on the cabin." He said with a sigh and looked from Maisie and back at me. "You two should lay down or something."  
I shook my head. "I can't, I have too much energy."  
"Rest." Owen pointed at me.  
"Can we help you?" Maisie asked, standing up and motioned towards the cabin.  
"Actually that's a good idea." I patted her back and we stepped out of the van.  
"Of course it is, because it's the complete opposite of what I said." Owen grumbled as he followed after us.  
Maisie walked into the cabin and I turned around to wrap my arms around Owen's neck. He hesitated, but slipped his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry," I whispered and pecked his lips softly.  
His grip tightened around my waist and he raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear you correctly… what was that?"  
I smiled and kissed him again. "I said I'm sorry."  
He sighed heavily and ducked his head to fully capture my lips with his.


	29. Chapter 29

"Claire." The nurse called my name into the waiting room. This was it, the confirmation I already knew was true. Owen and Maisie rose to their feel to follow me into the exam room. I took a deep breath when the nurse handed me a small plastic cup. "I'll need a urine sample."  
I nodded and watched Owen and Maisie being escorted into the exam room where I would meet up with them.  
"You ok?" Owen asked as I fiddled with my fingers.  
I looked down at him from my spot on the exam table and shrugged. "I don't know why I'm nervous."  
"Is it going to hurt?" Maisie asked. She leaned back against Owen and he pulled her onto his lap.  
"Na," Owen informed her. "We're just going to listen for the heartbeat."  
I smiled at Maisie as she looked around the room. It was important to me to have her here, sharing in every moment possible with us to help her feel included.  
"Good afternoon, Ms. Dearing." Dr. Magadina smiled warmly as she entered the room. She quickly introduced herself to Owen and Maisie. "How have you been feeling?" She asked, turning her attention back to me.  
I shrugged. "Tired, nauseous, and my boobs hurt."  
Dr. Magadina smiled and nodded. "So you already know the results in my hand are positive."  
"Yes," I sighed.  
"Ok, let's hear this heartbeat."  
Maisie and Owen leaned forward automatically as the doctor instructed me to lay back on the table. She tucked a towel in my jeans and looked back at Maisie and Owen. "Dad and big sister ready?" She asked them.  
Both nodded eagerly.  
Dr. Magadina then turned to look at me. "It may take me a moment to find the little guy or girl, so no panicking if you can't hear anything right away."  
"Ok," I answered, biting my bottom lip as the cold gel covered my stomach.  
The room fell silent as the crackling sound of the doppler filled the room.  
Owen stood with Maisie and stepped beside me, taking my hand. I could see the panic in his eyes as the minutes passed.  
Our eyes stayed locked on each other, both of us going wide-eyed as the quick thumping sound filled the room.  
"There it is." Dr. Magadina confirmed.  
I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes. There wasn't a sound in the world that was more beautiful. After all we've been through in the last week, it was nice to actually feel like a normal family. I was reminded that there was still innocence and purity in this crazy world we live in.  
"Wow," Maisie gasped as she leaned closer to the doppler. "Why is it beating so fast?"  
"That's good for a baby. You'll see once it get's bigger that it'll slow down a little. But right now your brother or sister is strong and healthy."  
"That's good." Maisie smiled at the doctor.  
"That's very good," she agreed.  
I was instructed to sit and and the doctor went over some health pointers to keep myself healthy during the pregnancy. She handed me a prescription for prenatal vitamins and we were on our way.  
"Hungry?" Owen asked once we were in the car. I shook my head at the same time Maisie made it clear she was starving. Settling on a drive thru Owen pulled up to place their order.  
The picture of the large milkshake had my mouth watering. I poked Owen's shoulder. "Strawberry milkshake." I smiled and licked my lips.  
Owen turned his head and threw me a surprised look. "That's not lunch."  
I shrugged. That's what I want.  
"Chocolate please!" Maisie requested from the backseat.  
He raised his hand, jabbing his thumb towards Maisie. "See what you started?"  
"Fine, I'll have fries, too." I threw him my best innocent smile.  
With a shake of his head, Owen gave in and placed our order. In the end he gave in and ordered himself a chocolate shake as well.  
He handed me the bag to sort out the food orders. I tucked my fry container between my legs and handed Owen his cheeseburger. Then gave Maisie her chicken nuggets and fries.  
"Thanks!" She exclaimed, eagerly reaching for her meal.  
Settling back in my seat I popped the lid off of my milkshake and reached for a fry. I caught Owen glance at me from the corner of my eye when I dipped the fry in the shake and ate it. Closing my eyes I wondered how anything could tase so good.  
"Really?" Owen asked, disgusted as I took two more fried and dunked them before eating them.  
"It's good!" I pressed.  
He reached across the center console and grabbed a fry, dipping it in my shake. He popped it in his mouth and gagged. "That's disgusting!"  
Maisie giggled from the backseat.  
I shook my head and shrugged, "More for me!"  
"So it's all real then…" Owen trailed off as he watched me pop three more shake covered fries in my mouth. He continued when he knew he had my attention. "The weird cravings. You going to start eating ice cream and pickles now?"  
I scrunched up my nose. "That's gross."  
Owen banged his forehead against the steering wheel. "This is going to be a long pregnancy."  
Since my doctors appointment was during a school day, we dropped Maisie off at school before heading to the office.  
"Hey!" Owen called out after her. She turned to look back at us. "I'll pick you up after school."  
Maisie nodded, the look in her eyes let us know she still wasn't ready to take that chance. With a quick wave she turned and walked into the school.  
"Should we tell everyone?" Owen wondered as we walked towards the elevator to the office.  
I shook my head. "Not yet."  
"Why?"  
"I just don't want that kind of attention yet. Not when we need to focus on finding Blue and getting her safely to the sanctuary. I need everyone focused on that."  
"Ronni is out there searching. She's got a whole team of guys on her tail."  
We stepped into the office and everyone turned to look at us. "Hey! Zia said, jumping up and walking over to us and asked the same question for the last week, "How's Maisie?"  
"She walked into school without one of us today." I told her.  
"Damn, poor kid." She took a deep breath before looking at Owen. "Ronni called about five minutes ago. She needs to talk to you."  
"Oh," Owen grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "Sorry, we turned our phones off because we were at—"  
I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. "We were spending time with Maisie before she had to go to school."  
Zia raised an eyebrow, her eyes moving from my face to Owen's. "O…k… well she wants you to call her back."  
Owen waved his phone in the air. "On it." He said and walked towards my office.  
"What's going on?" Zia asked once my office door was shut.  
"What do you mean?"  
"You've been spending a lot of time out of the office this past week. That's not like you."  
"We've been focused on Maisie. She started having nightmares again." It wasn't a lie.  
"What about this morning? School started three hours ago."  
I raised an eyebrow. "She… she had a rough night last night so we let her sleep in a little." I hate the fact that I can't lie. Owen always says it's the one talent I do not possess and it was true.  
Zia noticed the hesitation and tone of my voice and rolled her eyes. "Ok."  
"Hey, Claire!" Owen called out from my office.  
I let out a sigh of relief and threw Zia my best smile. "Gotta go."  
"Does she have Blue?" I asked as soon as I shut the door behind me.  
He shook his head. "She's close."  
"Oh, well that's good then."  
"No, Claire. Blue… she's close."  
"To here?"  
"Ronni has been following her trail and she seems to be moving towards our house."  
I started pacing the floor as I thought of our next movie. "So we let her find you. That's what she wants."  
Owen sat in my chair and leaned his elbows on the desk. "Then what? Keep her as a pet? Who needs security when we have a raptor."  
I shook my head. "No. You show her she's safe and have only guys with the best aim tranq her. If I remember correctly she'll need three. She needs to get them at the same time so she doesn't panic."  
Owen shuddered and rubbed his hand across his forehead.  
"What's wrong?"  
He looked up at me and smiled. "That was exactly my plan when we were on the island. Didn't work out too well."  
I crossed the room and he turned the chair so I could sit on his lap. "This time everyone working for us is on our side. She'll be free at the sanctuary. She deserves that."  
He smiled and cupped my face in his hands. "Ok, Boss, put your plan in motion." He said and pulled my towards him until our lips met.


	30. Chapter 30

Still perched on Owen's lap I reached for his phone since it was closest. Glancing at Owen once more he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek. I leaned against his chest and called Ronni back.  
Ronnie picked up on the first ring. "Owen, that was quick. What did she say?"  
"No, It's Claire."  
"Oh," Ronni giggled, "so what did you say?"  
"Don't try and capture Blue on your own. Just follow her, make sure no one intervenes. She's looking for Owen. I want three of your best shooters chosen and ready. Owen will…" I trailed off when there was a knock on my office door.  
"Sorry," Zia whispered when she realized I was on the phone. "the school is on line four."  
Owen rolled the chair towards the phone on my desk and he slammed his finger down on the blinking button. "Hello?" He tried his best to not sound panicked.  
"Ronni Owen will call you back. Just follow Blue. Don't do anything else." I said and dropped Owen's phone on my desk. I stood up and turned to lean against my desk so I could see Owen.  
"She what?" Owen growled and jumped to his feet.  
My eyes went wide at the same time my heart jumped into my throat.  
"We'll be right there." He grumbled and hung up the phone.  
"Please—" Panic gripped my voice and Owen grabbed my arm shaking his head.  
"She's fine. She… punched a kid. Apparently History class got a little heated."  
My eyes went wide as I studied Owen's face. "She, as in Maisie? No… that's not possible."  
Owen shrugged. "Yes it is. She admitted to it. We have to go to the school."  
"Never a dull moment," I grumbled.  
Walking into the Principal's office, Maisie sat with her arms tightly folded against her chest and her face set in an angry glare as she stared at the wall beside her.  
A dark haired boy sat on the other side of the room with an ice pack on his left eye. He was slumped down in his chair, his good eye narrowed at Maisie.  
"Ah," the Principal stood up from behind his desk, "you must be Maisie's parents."  
"Yes, Owen and this is Claire."  
"I'm Mr. Paxton, seems these two had a heated debate during class today." Mr. Paxton motioned towards the boy. "Jack, please wait outside the door until your mother arrives. I would like to talk to Maisie and her parents in the meantime."  
Jack stood up and looked at Owen and I. "It's just not normal!" He snapped at us.  
"Shut up!" Maisie yelled.  
"Hey!" Owen held his hand up, palm towards Maisie. "That's enough."  
She huffed back in her chair and found the spot on the wall again.  
I stepped aside as Jack stared at me on his way to the door behind me. "You should have let them die." He hissed. I raised an eyebrow. kid had nerve. Now even I wanted to punch him.  
"Excuse me?" I asked him, but I already knew what this was about. I've campaigned at this school more than once and this kid was passionate about letting the dinosaurs die on the island.  
"Jack." Mr. Paxton warned.  
"No!" He yelled back and jabbed his finger towards Maisie. "She's allowed to voice her opinion, but I can't?"  
"Jack!" Mr. Paxton stepped around his desk at the same time Maisie jumped up from her seat.  
"Because I'm right! They are innocent animals!"  
"They're dead animals! They should have stayed that way."  
"Take that back!" Maisie screamed.  
Mr. Paxton stepped between the two kids, but Owen spoke before he could. "Maisie, I said that's enough. Sit down!"  
"But he—"  
"Not another word!" Owen yelled loud enough where it made her jump. Their eyes met and she slowly sat back down in her seat.  
Mr. Paxton excused himself as he stepped out into the hall with Jack.  
"Maisie?" I stepped in front of her when the door shut, leaving the three of us alone in the office.  
She looked at her spot on the wall.  
"Maisie, what happened?" I wanted her side of the story.  
She didn't move.  
"You were asked a question, Maisie." Owen told her.  
"He told me the dinosaurs should have never left the island. He said it was your fault they were brought back here." Her eyes fell on me as she swept angrily at her tears. "He said his mom calls you an attention whore." She looked back at Owen and shrugged. "So I punched him," crossing her arms against her chest again she looked directly into Owen's eyes, "and I'm not sorry."  
"Oh, you're going to say sorry. As much as I want to high five you right now because this kid is a dick—"  
"Owen!" I snapped.  
"What?" He hissed. "It's true and you know it."  
"Yeah, but…" I trailed off and waved my hands towards Maisie.  
She sat in the same position, her eyes testing Owen.  
"You're saying sorry." He simply stated.  
"No," Maisie pouted.  
"I didn't give you a choice!"  
"Hey," I stepped between them and faced Maisie. "this is not like you. I understand you're aggravated at this kid. Trust me, I get it. Negative comments towards something you're passionate about can hurt, but you can't let it get to you. They can think what they want, but we know the truth. What get's under their skin the most is when you show that their comments don't bother you. We're not asking you to say sorry for what you believe in…"  
Owen was quick to finish my sentence. "We want you to say sorry for hitting him."  
"But he wouldn't shut up!"  
I took a deep breath. "We will discuss this later, but we need you to apologize."  
"For what?" Maisie snapped. "Fighting for what I believe in?"  
"No!" Owen threw back. "Using violence to try and solve a problem."  
"You did it!" She stood up and stepped towards Owen.  
"Did what?"  
"When Wyatt was mean to mom back at the DPG you went after him and broke his nose! You fought those men at the factory for me."  
"No, Maisie." Owen shook his head and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "That's completely different."  
"How?" She pressed, but the office door opened. She slumped back in her chair when the Principal entered with Jack and his mother.  
I straightened up when my eyes locked with the only other woman in the room. She was slightly shorter than me, her short dark hair carefully styled and the red lipstick clashed against her black leggings and oversized sweatshirt.  
"Ms. Roman, Ms. Dearing…" Mr. Paxton's slightly annoyed tone pulled us from our silent starring match.  
We both looked up at him and he motioned towards the only two empty chairs in the room. I glanced quickly at Owen who was biting his bottom lip from his chair beside Maisie. Sitting in the chair on the other side of Maisie, Ms. Roman glanced passed me towards Owen and I noticed her eyes fall to his left hand. I fought the need to roll my eyes.  
"Now, I believe we can find a way for these two to find a common ground and learn to respect each other the way I expect every student in my school to respect their peers. As for personal references one adult may have for another should not be shared with a child. Especially another parent."  
I glanced at Ms. Roman and smirked. She didn't notice as her eyes were focused on Owen.  
"Mr. Grady is it?" The unorganized woman scooted forward on her chair.  
"Hmm?" Owen looked over at her.  
"I presume we could get these two to come to an understanding, right? By the way, I'm Colleen."  
"Uhh… Owen… and that's why we're here." He glanced quickly at Maisie who has assumed her original posture and refused to look away from her spot on the wall. "Maisie, do you have something to say to Jack?"  
She bit her bottom lip, but didn't budged.  
"Maisie," I warned and reached my arm towards her to squeeze her knee.  
"Sorry." She grumbled.  
I leaned towards her so my lips were at her ear. "You can do better than that."  
With a roll of her eyes she quickly looked towards Jack. "I'm sorry!"  
"It's ok, I get it." Colleen winked at Owen. "Divorced families are hard. These kids go through a lot."  
"We're not divorced." I said through gritted teeth.  
"Let's stick to the topic, please." Mr. Paxton suggested quickly.  
My eyes stayed locked on Colleen who didn't even seem to notice I was in the room anymore.  
"Let me see your eye," Colleen pulled the ice away and she smiled back at Owen. "No harm done."  
Jack shook his head. "But I don't accept her—" his mother clapped her hand over his mouth.  
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Principal Paxton, I will be sure to discuss this with him when we get home."  
The principal nodded in approval. "I appreciate that. They are both dismissed for the rest of the day." He turned to look at Owen and I. "Please make sure this doesn't happen again or I will be forced to suspend her. She's a great student, never has been in trouble before. I will see this as a bad day, but will not tolerate it again."  
Owen and I stood up at the same time. The woman still sitting in her chair huffed in disapproval when I stepped in her view of Owen. "Thank you, Sir." I smiled and reached my hand out. He shook it and returned my smile. Owen followed my motion and he grabbed Maisie's hand to keep her close to him.  
"So, Owen!" Colleen rushed to catch up with us as we crossed the parking lot.  
"Yeah?" He asked, turning to look at her. I smiled to myself when he made it clear he was aggravated.  
"Maybe we could discuss this over coffee? Get the kids to really apologize to each other?"  
I stepped forward and opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, but Owen stepped to the side, making me knock into his shoulder. "Listen, If anyone should be apologizing it should be you. Think my wife is an attention whore? Take a look at how desperate you are for attention. Keep your son away from my daughter and don't disrespect my wife again."  
Any other time I would be angry at him for not letting me handle myself, but I decided to stand back and give him this one. Besides that fact that I couldn't quite handle the fact that he called me his wife.  
Colleen stood stuttering as Owen continue towards our car, pulling Maisie along with him. "Still not natural what you did."  
"What part of saving an endangered species and sending them to a sanctuary unnatural?" I wondered.  
She shook her head. "Bringing them back to life! It should have never happened."  
"But it did and we have to deal with the situation at hand. They are alive and need help."  
Colleen sighed heavily. "You should have let them die on the island! Why save them when they'll die out on the other one you sent them to! You're prolonging the inevitable. Since the moment that volcano threatened your beasts you plastered yourself all over every news channel, newspaper, and magazine cover to save them! For what? The next time they're going to threaten humans? They do nothing for this earth, but create chaos. They need to die! If you weren't the attention—"  
I took a step towards her, jabbing my finger in her face. "I'm not the whore here," I hissed. Happy her son was in the car because I had no control over my emotions anymore. "If you weren't so eager to spread your legs, I'm sure you'd still be married." Satisfied by her reaction I knew my research through social media about her were correct.  
"You're a bitch!" She snapped.  
I scrunched up my nose and nodded. "Yeah, I've gotten that one before. My daughter has nothing more to say to your son." I swallowed hard before I spoke again, preparing myself to continue what Owen started. "And stay away from my husband!"  
Before she could say anything more I spun on my heels and walked towards the car. I couldn't believe how good it felt to say that.


	31. Chapter 31

"Husband, eh?" Owen jabbed his elbow into my arm.  
I stared out the window and smiled. "You said it first."  
Owen shrugged. "I had to, she was pissing me off and I wasn't going to call you my fiancé. We're as good as married anyway. Just waiting on you to say 'I do'."  
I looked at him with a smirk. "I do."  
"Hold on I'll stop at the town hall on our way home and you can repeat that."  
"Soon." I promised him with a wink and he reached across the center console to take my hand in his.  
"Does this mean I'm off the hook?" Maisie's voice was quiet from the back seat.  
Owen glanced at her fin the rearview mirror. "Not even close, kiddo."  
"Why?!"  
"You hit someone, Honey." I turned slightly so I could look back at her. "There has to be consequences for that."  
"What kind of consequences?"  
"You're grounded." Owen simply stated and I glanced at him. I fully agree with his statement, but where was she going to be grounded to? She barely has a bedroom. I caught Owen glancing at me, his face flashed a look of panic, like he said something wrong. "Right?" He asked, looking at me as he parked the car in front of the van.  
"Yes…" I trailed off, looking out the windshield at the van and cabin. "You really need to get that cabin finished. Hire someone if you need to."  
"Wait, what?" Owen turned in his seat, confused at the change of subject.  
I looked back at Maisie who seemed just as confused. "Go sit at the table, please. We will be right in to discuss your punishment."  
"I should have a say, too!" She complained and sat back in her seat letting me know she wasn't moving.  
Owen twisted in his seat so he could face her. "Not when you're the child in trouble! You were given instructions and I suggest you listen before I tell you and then there will be more consequences you'll need to face."  
She looked from Owen to me and I raised an eyebrow. It was a warning. She was about to test Owen's patience and she didn't want to be on the other side of that battle. With a loud groan, she opened her door and slammed it shut. Owen rolled down his window and handed her the keys so she could unlock the door. She snatched them out of his hand and stomped her feet all the way to the door.  
"How are we doing?" He asked once we watched her slam the van door shut.  
"She's pissed at us, so I'm guessing that's a good thing." I glanced at him and smiled.  
"I hate this." He sighed.  
I nodded. "So do I, but this isn't ok, Owen."  
"I know, I get it. She shouldn't have hit the kid."  
"Right. What are we going to do about it?" I questioned, biting my nail as I tried to figure it out.  
I pointed towards the cabin. "She needs a room to be grounded to."  
"Ah," Owen nodded. "So that's where that came from."  
"You need to finish." I smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him. "What if I give you a deadline?"  
He raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me?"  
I couldn't help but laugh. "Three months. I'll need three months to plan a backyard wedding and you don't want my sister to find out you knocked me up and don't even have a finished house for us."  
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me softly. "Challenge accepted." He kissed me again before taking a deep breath, letting his forehead lean against mine. "So she's grounded… no TV…" He trailed off, not quite sure what else to say.  
"No TV and no phone." Knowing she spent most evenings talking to her friend, Annie on my phone.  
"Ok, ready for this?" Owen asked as he reached for the handle to his door.  
"Nope," I sighed and opened my door. We met around the front of the car and he took my hand.  
"I think I'd rather face the Indominus again than go in there."  
I let out an uneasy laugh, "Right…"  
Owen and I silently slid into the bench at the table, opposite side Maisie was sitting at.  
"We, love you, Maisie," I started, remembering that's how every one of these conversations started with my parents. "and we're doing this because we love you. There's a right and a wrong way to approach situations like this. Do you know which path you chose?"  
She glanced up at Owen and he raised an eyebrow, daring her to refuse to answer me. I tried to hide my smile and the way it made my stomach flutter. We really did make a good team, no matter how much we argue.  
She huffed and looked down at her hands. "The wrong way." She groaned.  
Owen and I nodded together. "Do you believe that, or are you just telling us what we want to hear?" He asked her.  
She glanced up at him, looking him straight in the eye. "I did the wrong thing. I should have just ignored him, but I told him to stop and he didn't listen to me!"  
"So you tell your teacher." I told her.  
"He was trying to tell him to be quiet, too, but he wouldn't listen."  
Owen shook his head. "That doesn't mean you take matters into your own hands. You let the teacher handle it. Walk away if you need to."  
"Ok," Maisie sighed and looked from me to Owen and back. "am I still grounded?"  
We both nodded again.  
"What does that mean, anyway?"  
Owen slapped my thigh under the table. Apparently it was up to me to do the punishing. "No TV and no calling Annie."  
"What?" Maisie shrieked.  
Owen held up two fingers. "Two weeks." he told her and I nodded in agreement.  
"What am I supposed to do?"  
Owen smiled at her. "I need a lot of help on the cabin. So as soon as your homework is done you're my assistant. Trust me, you'll be so tired by the end of the day, you won't even think about wanting to call Annie."  
"What about texting?" Maisie asked me.  
I shook my head. "My phone will be locked and so will Dad's. No phone at all."  
She groaned and threw her head in her hands. "What do I do right now?" She asked us.  
"Well, I have to get back to the office. You guys have a deadline to meet, so get to work." I kissed Owen and stood up to leaned down and kiss the top of Maisie's head.  
Owen stood up and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Please be careful."  
I could see the strain in his eyes and pecked his lips once more. "Just worry about the cabin. I'll be back in a few hours. I'll call Ronnie back." I said and stepped out of his arms.  
"Hey what happened?" Zia asked as soon as I walked into the office. She looked behind me when she realized it was just me. "Whoa, wait. He let you out of his sight?"  
I sighed heavily. "He's home with Maisie. She got in trouble." I informed her and walked towards my office.  
"You can't say that and walk away!" She hurried after me.  
"She punched a kid in the face. Then Owen and I told his mother off after the meeting."  
Zia snorted. "Sounds about right. You guys will be bad ass parents one day. I mean you are know, but wait until you have your own."  
I scratched my forehead and smiled at her. "Yeah… someday." I wanted to tell her that day was coming faster than she thought, but there was something else I needed to worry about first. The wedding. I wanted to be married to Owen before we announced we were expecting. "Did Ronnie call at all?"  
Zia shook her head. "Nope, it's been quiet."  
"I'm going to call her back, Owen has his hands full right now." I sat at my desk and Zia walked towards the door.  
"Let me know the latest on Blue."  
"I will!" I called after her as she shut my door.  
"Everything ok?" Ronnie asked as soon as she answered the phone.  
"Fine, sorry we had a kid related situation. Owen's taking care of that, so I'm calling you back."  
"Ok, glad it's nothing more."  
"So, what's going on?"  
"We haven't seen her yet. Just following her tracks. We're about twenty miles to town."  
"Ok, well Owen is prepared for her to track him down, so let her come. I don't want anyone stepping foot on our property with any lethal weapons. I mean it, Ronnie, nothing lethal gets pointed at her. Plus I have a kid walking around at home."  
"Don't worry, Claire. The only one carrying a gun right now is me and it's not even loaded. We got the tranquilizers. They're ready." Ronnie informed me.  
"Ok," I sighed. "the DPG will handle transport. No one takes a shot at her until Owen gives the signal. Again, I mean it. I don't care if someone has her in the perfect position to just take the shot."  
"Got it, nothing get's done until Owen says."  
I caught the tension in her voice and I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I'm being so pushy with this, but Owen's really stressing about having to tranq her. This was their plan when we were trying to get her off the island and it ended up getting Blue shot and Owen tranqued. So he's a little apprehensive."  
"Oh," Ronnie gasped. "I had no idea. I'm sorry. I will enforce your orders. Thank you, Claire and she'll be fine."  
"Thanks, Ronnie."  
"Take it easy, Claire. We got this."  
I smiled. "I know, we trust you."  
Said said bye and hung up and I leaned back in my chair. This was going to happen quicker than I thought. She was twenty miles out and closing in. Part of me worried about the people in town. I closed my eyes and hoped this was going to go smoothly.  
I reached for the intercom on my desk and buzzed Zia's desk. "Zia, schedule a transport truck to my house Blue is getting close."  
"You got it." She answered.  
I decided to take the task of setting up the boat transport. Once I had absolutely everything in line for Blue's transport, I stood up and stretched.  
I yawned and wandered out of my office. Zia was just hanging up the phone when I approached her. "Ok, calling it a night."  
"Perfect timing." She sighed and stood up. "It's just us left."  
My phone rang and I didn't have to look at the name to know who it was. "I'm leaving now. Zia is still here with me."  
"Thank you," Owen let out a sigh of relief.  
I quickly filled him in on everything I worked on and his word of approval sealed the deal. Zia and I locked up and headed home for the night.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! The next two chapters were hard to write! I hope you guys enjoy them and PLEASE review! I love reading about your reactions.**_

Within a few days of constant work on the cabin, Owen was making remarkable progress. I stood in the doorway of the front door as I peered inside. I could hear Owen and Maisie singing along to the song on the radio from somewhere towards the back of the cabin. The strong smell of paint kept me from going in too far. "Hey, guys!" I called into the house. "I'm home."  
"Hey!" They both yelled at the same time. Within a few minutes they were both walking into the living room towards me.  
My eyes went wide when I saw their paint covered clothes. "What happened?" I giggled.  
"Well, Maisie tripped over the paint pan and—"  
Maisie cut him off, "He laughed at me! So I painted his shirt—"  
"And I painted her back." He shrugged.  
I shook my head. "Any paint on the walls yet, or…" I motioned towards their clothes.  
"Our room and Maisie's room is finished. Once that's dry we can furnish them and actually sleep in here. We'll still have to shower and eat in the van," Owen shrugged, "but it's a step closer, right?"  
I stepped into the house and threw my arms around his neck. "That sounds perfect!" I said and kissed him. His hands went to my hips and without breaking the kiss he backed me back out on to the porch. I laughed against his lips.  
"Yuck," Maisie groaned somewhere behind Owen. "Get a room."  
Owen kept his arms on my hips and turned to face Maisie. "I'm trying!"  
We all laughed at that.  
"What can I do?" I asked, knowing it wasn't going to be much until the paint dried.  
"Go anywhere but here."  
I rolled my eyes.  
"I'm hungry." Maisie informed us.  
"Well, there you go." Owen smiled at me. "Go pick up something for dinner."  
"Fine," I huffed and turned to walk back towards the van. There was a sound to the left of me that came from the side of the cabin. "Owen, I called over my shoulder." He didn't answer me and I could hear the radio back on, too loud for either of them to hear me yell.  
The sound grew closer and I took a deep breath. I clicked my tongue against my teeth, knowing Blue was just out of sight. I regretted the move as soon as I made the sound. My hands shook when the bushes rustled. Would she remember she didn't want to hurt me? Was she hunting me and that's why she wasn't coming out? My heart pounded in my chest. "Owen!" I called out a little louder, but their singing kept on.  
"Claire!"  
I screamed at the sound of the voice and a hand wrapped around my arm. The music in the house stopped and I knew Owen had to have heard me. I opened my mouth to call for him, but Blue appeared, snarling at Ronnie standing beside me.  
"Owen!" I tried yelling, but I couldn't get my voice above a whisper.  
"You need to get out of here." Ronnie whispered to me.  
I shook my head. It wasn't me Blue was angry at. "You need to let go of my arm." I glanced down at her other hand and noticed the gun. "I told you no lethal weapons!" I hissed and placed myself between her and Blue.  
Blue stalked closer, her gaze locked on Ronnie. I could feel her breathing behind me.  
"Claire, was that you?" Owen called from the porch.  
Blue's head rose at the sound of his voice.  
"Come here, please." I said as calmly as I could. "Keep Maisie in the house." I added as I looked down at the gun again. "Is that loaded?"  
Ronnie nodded. "I saw you out here and—"  
"Give it to me." I snapped. "She's not going to hurt us!"  
Blue snapped in our direction when she saw Ronnie hand me the gun. I emptied the bullets into my hand and shoved them in my pocket.  
"What's going on?" Owen's voice came from around the corner of the house and he froze when he saw Blue standing at my left shoulder, both of us looking at Ronnie. "Found us, huh, girl?" Owen said as he walked slowly towards us.  
My focus was still on Ronnie. "You still the only one with a gun?" I asked her.  
She nodded.  
Owen snatched the gun from my hand and immediately checked if it was loaded. "It's fine." Owen informed me. "It's empty."  
Without taking my eyes off Ronnie, I reached in my pocket and gave him the bullets. "I emptied it."  
Owen's chest rumbled as he let out a frustrated grumble. "Claire gave you orders, did she not?"  
Ronnie looked down at her hands. "Yes, sir. But I only loaded it because I saw Blue approaching Claire out here alone."  
"I appreciate that, but she's not going to hurt her."  
Ronnie nodded, her eyes focusing on Blue again.  
"Where are your men?" I asked looked around us.  
"Hidden." She smiled knowing that was something Owen wanted.  
He took a deep breath, his hand slowly rose to lay on my back as if he was consoling me, but I knew it was for his benefit. This was it. The last moments he was going to spend with her before releasing her at the sanctuary.  
I followed his motion and rubbed his back slowly with my right hand. Blue was still at my left side and I slowly reached out for her. Owen's hand gripped my shirt on my back and curled his hand into a fist, ready to yank me away from her. She looked at me and purred, a noise she always gave Owen. His hand relaxed on my back. "Take care, Blue and don't bully the others too much, ok?" I smiled through my tears. "Thanks for saving us over and over again." I whispered.  
I turned my back on her and brought my hand from her face to Owen's, resting my palm against his cheek, I pulled him towards me and kissed his other cheek. He handed me Ronnie's gun back and I walked slowly towards the house where Maisie was waiting. I understood that Owen didn't want me near the line of fire, and I wasn't sure I wanted to see it happen.  
"Mais?" I said softly as I stepped into the house. I placed the gun on Owen's work bench just as I heard her footsteps.  
She ran into the living room and flew into my open arms. "Is it going to hurt?" She whimpered.  
I moved us to the wall by the door and we slid down it until we were on the floor. "She'll go to sleep quickly. It won't hurt her at all. Then when she wakes up she'll be free and safe on the sanctuary. She deserves that." I said through my tears and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.  
We sat in silence for a few minutes and I closed my eyes as I leaned my head back against the wall.  
The sound of the tranquilizer guns echoed loudly through the empty house. Maisie and I both let out a startled screech and jumped from the sound. She sobbed into my chest. I rubbed her back as I cried into her hair.  
After a few minutes I stood up with Maisie tight at my side and I peeked out the kitchen window since it was the only window on that side of the house that pointed to where I left Blue and Owen.  
"It worked." I informed Maisie, when I saw Owen on his knees with Blue's head on his lap. He pet her as Zia knelt on the other side of Blue's head, she moved a stethoscope around to make sure she was ok.  
There was a knock on the open door and Ronnie stepped inside. "Owen said it's ok to come back out. Look, Claire…" She trailed off when I waved my hand to dismiss what she was going to say.  
"I get it, but it's not me you need to apologize to."  
She nodded. "I know, but I want to as your friend."  
With Maisie's arms still locked around my waist I hugged Ronnie with my free arm.  
"When did you call Zia?" I wondered.  
"Right when I realized Blue was here."  
I smiled at her. "Thanks."  
Maisie peeked out from my side and glanced out the window. "Can I say bye?" She whispered.  
I nodded and took her hand to walk back outside. Ronnie following us slowly.  
As soon as we rounded the corner, Maisie hurried over to Owen's side. He reached around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. I stepped behind Owen to squat down behind him, wrapping my arms around his chest.  
With Zia's confirmation that she was asleep and ready for transport, she backed away from us leaving us alone with Blue.  
I leaned in and kissed the back of Owen's neck. "She'll finally be safe and free."  
He reached back and rubbed my thigh. "Still doesn't make it easy."  
"No, it doesn't, but you've done all you could for her." I smiled against his neck. "At some point you have to let your baby leave the nest."  
Owen sighed heavily. "Yeah, but this one isn't going to visit for the holidays." He said as he stood up.  
"Are you going to the docs with them?" I called after him.  
"No," His voice was flat. Emotionless. He walked towards the van slammed the door shut.  
I stood up and placed my hand on Maisie's shoulder. "Stay with her ok?" I asked and she immediately took Owen's spot, patting Blue's head. I walked quickly towards Zia and Ronnie. "Load her up and get her ready to leave."  
"What about Owen?" Ronnie asked, looking towards the van.  
"He's going. He just needs a minute. Just make sure she's ready." I sighed and squeezed her arm before I walked towards the van.


	33. Chapter 33

I opened the door slowly and could hear him from the bedroom. He sniffed a few times and I knew he heard me come in. "Hey," I said softly when I stepped into our room. He turned his head so he was looking at the wall, his face completely hidden from my view. "Talk to me." I whispered.  
"She gone?" he took a deep breath.  
"Waiting on you."  
He shook his head. "I told you I wasn't going."  
I folded my arms against my chest. "And I say you are! You need to go, Owen."  
"What difference does it make? She's asleep! You're making this a bigger deal than it is!" He stood up, his eyes baring into mine.  
"You'll regret it if you don't go. It's not for her. Go for you. You raised her—"  
He waved his hand and cut me off. "Stop throwing that in my face! She's a damn animal!"  
I tried not to take his yelling personal. I knew he needed to get his frustration out and I was his target. As long as he wasn't holding it in, I could handle this. I needed to push him, I needed him to understand that it was ok to be upset. I matched the pitch of his voice when I yelled back. "She's your animal! She has a relationship with you that no one else in this world would understand. It's ok, Owen!" I stepped in front of him when he sat back down on the bed and cupped his face in my hands. "Spend a few more minutes with her. Make sure she leaves safely. You need this closure. Don't turn your back on her now."  
He closed his eyes, tears silently sliding down his face and onto my hands. He bowed his head, resting his forehead against my chest and slid his hands up my legs until he reached my hips. I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying as his arms tightened around my waist and he let out a sob. I wrapped one arm around his shoulder and the other moved to the back of his head.  
I leaned down and kissed the top of his head when I felt his shoulders relax. "Ok," he sighed heavily. "I'll go."  
"Thank you." I smiled into his hair.  
He leaned back to look at me and shook his head. "Stubborn woman, you are."  
I shrugged. "You should know by now that there's no sense in arguing with me." I kissed him quickly before reaching for his hands. "Ready?"  
He shook his head, but got up and let me lead him out of the van. His hand squeezed mine when he noticed she wasn't on the ground anymore.  
"I told Ronnie to get her in the truck."  
"Over here!" Maisie waved from the back of the truck.  
We walked over to her and Owen climbed in.  
"Maisie, come on, honey." I called her out of the truck.  
"We're not going, too?"  
I shook my head. "This is something Dad needs to do on his own."  
"Ok," she sighed and took my hand to help her jump out of the truck.  
Owen knelt down so his face was level with mine. "Be back as soon as I can."  
"Take your time." I smiled up at him.  
He kissed me just As Ronnie climbed in the back beside Owen. "They're waiting on your word, Owen." Ronnie said as she pat his shoulder.  
He sighed and kissed me again before standing up. "Ok, let's move out!"  
Maisie and I shut the doors and made sure they were locked.  
"Bye, Blue." I waved as the truck disappeared down the dirt road. Maisie's arms wrapped around my waist and I held her close.  
"She's going to be ok at the sanctuary, right?" Maisie whispered.  
I nodded. "She'll be happy there."  
We stood there until the dust settled from the tires moving along the road. I took a deep breathe and patted Maisie's back. It was time to move on. "What do you say we run and pick up something for dinner so when dad gets back he can eat."  
Maisie followed me to my car and we grabbed some takeout before heading back home.  
"What time do you think he'll be back?" Maisie asked as she helped be bring the food into the van.  
"Not until really late. It's a long drive to the docs." I told her as we entered the van.  
We ate in silence, though I was starving, I couldn't bring myself to eat. Because Maisie was watching me closely, I forced myself to eat something.  
With a promise that Owen will wake her up to say goodnight when he came home, Maisie finally settled in for the night.  
I laid in bed, trying to stay awake, knowing Owen could be back at any moment. His cell phone sat on the shelf which made me anxious since I couldn't call him. I knew I could call Ronnie or Zia, but I didn't want to seem desperate.  
It was after midnight when I saw the car lights flash across the bedroom. I jumped out of bed and hurried through the van, careful to not wake Maisie up. I opened the door just as Owen got out of the truck and waved at whoever was driving. His eyes fell on me and I saw his shoulders relax. I couldn't help but smile.  
"You ok?" I asked, already knowing the answer from the smile on his face.  
He took me in his arms and kissed me softly. "I'm great. No more worrying about who has Blue, or where she is. I can focus on us now. No distractions."  
I smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. "We have some takeout you can heat up if you're hungry."  
He shook his head and his lips moved to my neck. "I'm hungry for something else." he mumbled against my neck. His voice sending a shiver down my spine.  
"I'll grab some blankets and meet you in the cabin. I promised Maisie you would say goodnight to her."  
"Ok," he hugged me close before releasing his hold on me. "I'll meet you in there. Stay away from the bedroom. The paint smell probably isn't gone yet."  
I nodded and turned to walk back in the van to grab what we would need for a night in the cabin.  
"Hey!" Maisie's fists pounded on the front door.  
I sat up quickly realizing we fell asleep on the floor. "Crap," I hissed and shoved Owen's shoulder. "Get up!"  
His arm locked around my waist and he pulled me against him. "No way," he grumbled.  
"Why is the door locked!" Maisie yelled, pounding on the door again.  
"Oh, shit! Get up!" Owen gasped.  
I rolled my eyes and threw his shirt at him. "I just said that!" I snapped.  
We dressed quickly and I threw the door open. "Morning, sweetie, sorry we…" I trailed off when I realized she was already dressed and had her backpack on. "What time is it?"  
Maisie rolled her eyes and grumbled, "I'm late."  
Owen rushed around me his shoes untied as he ran towards his truck. "No. Nope. No you're not. In the truck."  
"Keys, Owen!" I yelled when he went to open his door, but it was locked.  
"You're not late!" He called over his shoulder as he ran from his truck to the van to get his keys.  
Maisie huffed and leaned against the hood of the truck. "You can keep saying that, but it isn't changing the clocks back. I'm still late."  
"Just get in!" Owen yelled as he ran back across the grass.  
"I need lunch money, too." She pointed out before she got in.  
"I only have a twenty on me."  
"That'll work." Maisie smirked.  
Owen grabbed for his wallet before getting in the truck.  
"World's best parents," I sighed as I watched Owen spin his tires, trying to speed down the dirt road. I laid my hands on my stomach and shook my head. "I'm just going to start apologizing to you now for our parenting skills."


	34. Chapter 34

_**Hey all! This chapter jumps ahead in time a little bit. It's a chapter oozing with fluff, so enjoy! Please review!**_

"Well? What do you think?" I asked Maisie as I turned slowly in front of her. We stood in a small bridal boutique in town and I was becoming tired of trying on dresses. I didn't want to be the traditional bride in a big white gown that made me look like some sort of princess. I survived two dinosaur attacks, had countless guns pointed at my head, survived a volcano eruption and almost drowned. I was no where near princess material.  
The dress I had on was simple. It was a cream color, silk, floor length dress. The back was open with strands of sequence criss crossing down my back.  
"It's like it was made for you!" Maisie gasped in awe.  
"I agree with your daughter," the seamstress poked around at the dress. "There's nothing that would need to be altered.  
I turned sideways as I stared at myself in the mirror. "Well this may be a dead giveaway." I sighed and laid my hand on the slight bump that was just noticeable from the way the dress hugged my body.  
"How far along are you?" The woman asked.  
"Just over four months." I answered.  
"When's the wedding?" She asked nervously and pulled at the front of the dress revealing that I didn't have much more room to grow before the dress didn't fit anymore.  
"Next month."  
"Oh, well this would be perfect."  
I glanced over my shoulder at Maisie and she threw me two thumbs up. "Ok, this is it."  
"Would you like to try on a veil with it?"  
I shook my head. "No, just the dress and shoes." I turned my attention back to Maisie. "Sweetie, can you hand me the picture of the dress you found online?"  
She jumped up and pulled the printed out picture from her back pocket.  
I took it from her and showed the seamstress. "Do you have anything similar to this and the same color?"  
The woman smiled and motioned back towards the dressing room. "Go get changed and we will find the perfect bridesmaid dress."  
"I need two. The other one is for my sister. She gave me her measurements and we're just about the same height."  
"We'll find what you need." She smiled and motioned towards the dressing room again.  
Maisie was already sifting through some of the dresses on the rack and I ducked behind the curtain to get changed.  
"Found one!" Maisie shrieked just as I stepped out from behind the curtain. She ran over to me and handed me the dress she found. "It's the perfect shade of blue!"  
I took the dress from her and smiled. She was right. As a surprise for Owen we decided to make the bridesmaids dresses blue. The one I held in my hand was almost the exact color of the stripe on Blue's back. It's been almost two months since Blue was sent to the sanctuary and I knew this little detail would mean a lot to him.  
"Go try it on." I handed it back to her and she ran behind me towards the dressing room.  
I couldn't hold back the tears when Maisie stepped out from behind the curtain. The dress would need to be hemmed and altered, but it looked great of her. It was slim fitting on the top like my dress, but flared out from her hips. "I want this one." Maisie twirled around and giggled.  
"How long would it take for the alterations?" I asked the seamstress who was already on the floor instructing Maisie to sit still so she could start pinning the dress.  
"I'll have it done in two weeks. No problem."  
We finished up at the boutique and headed back home.  
"Hey!" Owen called out as he met us on the front porch. "Find what you were looking for?"  
"Yes!" Maisie hurried up the steps and jumped around Owen. "You're going to be so surprised!"  
His eyes fell on me and he smiled. "Going to be hiding that bump still?" He asked as he reached out and tugged on my shirt. For the past few weeks I started wearing slightly baggy shirts. I wanted to wait until the wedding to announce the pregnancy, but my stomach had other plans.  
I shook my head. "There will be no hiding anything in my dress."  
He winked at me and leaned down to kiss me. "Good."  
With the cabin mostly finished, we were able to fully live in it, with the exception of painting the living room, kitchen and what will be the baby's room. We were slowly getting settled in. It was especially nice to have bedrooms. Where we were all able to finally have some space.  
After dinner Maisie went to her room to finish studying for a test and Owen sat beside me on the couch. I curled into his side and his hand immediately went to my stomach. Since I started showing, this became a habit of his.  
"You still set on not finding out?" I asked and placed my hand over his.  
He shook his head. "I want to be surprised. Does it really matter if it's a boy or girl… or a boy?"  
I couldn't help but giggle. "No, but it would help me plan for his or her arrival if I knew."  
He sighed and laughed lightly. "What do you need to plan?"  
"There's a lot! Clothes, the color of the room, nursery theme…" I trailed off when he nibbled on his bottom lip.  
"I guess, but wouldn't it be exciting to find out when he's in our arms?"  
I smiled and kissed him. "Or she."  
He shook his head. "It's got to be a boy. I'm already outnumbered I'll have to keep the van around to hide from three women coming at me at the same time. Especially when it's that time of month."  
I rolled my eyes. "You know you're probably jinxing yourself. I have an ultrasound in a few weeks. Actually it's right before the wedding. We can announce the pregnancy and let everyone know."  
"What about names?"  
I shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it."  
Owen leaned away from me, a flash of shock in his eyes. "That's impossible. You have a list in this house somewhere. There's no way you haven't thought about it."  
I couldn't hide my guilty smile. I did have a list. A small list, but I had one.  
He raised an eyebrow when I didn't speak. "You going to share with me?"  
"Do you have any requests?" I wondered.  
Owen shrugged and looked down at his hand rubbing small circles on my stomach. "I'd like to try and name him after one of the raptors."  
I leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'm not having a kid named Echo or Blue."  
He chuckled and shook his head. "Charlie for a boy or Charolette for a girl."  
I got up and walked towards the bookshelf in the corner of the living room. Searching for my journal I could feel Owen's eyes on my back. I opened the book and took out the list I had shoved between two pages. Walking back over to Owen, I handed him the paper.  
"Is this your list?" He asked, taking the paper from my hand.  
"Just read it." I instructed.  
He looked down at the paper and immediately smiled up at me. He reached for my hips and pulled me down on his lap. "Charlie or Charolette." He sighed against my neck.  
I nodded. "Great minds think alike." Owen held me tight and I curled up on his lap. We sat silently and I closed my eyes, resting my head against his shoulder. Never in my life would I have ever thought I would be this happy. I couldn't help but smile when Owen's hand found it's way to my stomach once more.  
My eyes shot open and I sat up on his lap. "Stop moving your hand!" I half shrieked.  
"What?" He removed his hand from my stomach and watched me with wide eyes.  
My hands replaced his and I jumped to my feet.  
"Claire?" Owen followed me, his arms stretched towards me, unsure of what was wrong. "You ok? What is it?"  
"I'm fine." I smiled and looked into his eyes. "I felt it! The baby! It moved!" It was the faintest flutter, but it was there.  
"Really?" Owen dropped to his knees and pushed my hands out of the way. "Do it again."  
I laughed and patted the back of his hands. "I can't make the baby move. Plus it was so faint that I don't think you'll feel it yet— there!" I looked down at Owen's hands. "It moved again."  
He shook his head slowly. "I didn't feel anything."  
"Soon enough." I said and sat back down on the couch. I didn't want to admit it, but it was kind of exciting knowing this was something I shared alone with the baby. No one else in the world knew this child better than me right now.  
Owen sat beside me his eyes on the small bump under my shirt. "Please be Charlie." He whispered.


	35. Chapter 35

I looked around the back yard and smiled to myself. Karen, Zach, Grey, and Owen were hard at work making the back yard into a beautiful ceremony scene. Though I didn't have much input, mainly because I just needed Owen and I together to be enough to get married, Karen had other plans. She put herself in charge of flowers and basically organizing everything. I helped out as much as I could, but I was too focused on hiding my five month old baby bump. Luckily my sister hasn't paid much attention to me to realize my baggy shirts.  
"Tomorrow, huh?" Karen nudged my arm with her elbow. She sat on the ground beside me to help arrange some of the flower arrangements.  
I nodded.  
"Nervous?"  
"Not really," I shrugged. "this has been a long time coming. I'm ready."  
She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me into her side. "My little Claire Bear is getting married!"  
I rolled my eyes. "Please don't use that nickname at all tomorrow."  
Karen shrugged. "I can't promise anything. I'm the big sister. I have to embarrass you on your wedding day. It's the law."  
"No it's not!" I gasped.  
"Who embarrassed the hell out of me at my wedding?" Karen shoved my shoulder and we both laughed. She had a point. My speech at her wedding was filled with childhood stories with moments I knew she wished never happened.  
"I was a teenager!" Was my excuse. "We're both adults now, I think we can keep the past behind us."  
"Can't promise anything." She smiled and leaned over to kiss my temple before she hurried to stop Zack and Owen from placing the arch in the wrong spot.  
Glancing at my watch I called out to interrupt the argument between the three of them. "I have to go pick up Maisie. Can you attempt to not kill each other, please?"  
"Can I go?" Grey asked, dropping the chair we was setting up and jogged over to me.  
We both looked at Karen and she nodded.  
"Can I drive? I just got my permit!"  
"No!" Owen yelled a little louder than he wanted to. I caught him glance down at my stomach and I couldn't help but laugh.  
Karen leaned back, surprised at Owen's reaction. "You chase my sister through a Dinosaur infested island twice, but you decide to be overprotective when my son asks to drive her two minutes down the road?"  
He bit his bottom lip and turned his focus on the arch Zach was still trying to center just right.  
"What's going on?" She asked me.  
"Nothing. Grey, let's go." I took his hand and hurried towards my car. Out of sight of Owen, I tossed him my keys. "You crash my car and I crush your head."  
"Thanks, Aunt Claire!"  
"You're more relaxed than Mom." He sighed and leaned back in the seat as he turned onto the main road.  
"So far so good." I smiled at him.  
"Can I ask you something?" He asked after a moment of silence.  
"Sure," I answered and glanced at him quickly. "If you can keep your eyes on the road and talk at the same time."  
"What was it like? Going back to the island. Did things look… the same as we left it? I mean the T- Rex and…" He trailed off as he pulled into the school parking lot. "You know… the fight?"  
I looked down at my hands and couldn't get my voice above a whisper. "I'm so sorry you guys had to go through all that." This wasn't my first apology about what the boys went through, but I knew I'd spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to them.  
He shrugged and put the car in park as we waiting in the pick up line. "We grew out of all the nightmares and flashbacks. I'm just worried about you."  
I reached over and patted his leg. "Don't worry about me. I'm more than fine. To answer your question… yes. Things were in ruins, but taken over by foliage. We didn't get to see much of the park because we were on a mission."  
"You guys are ok, though? And Maisie?"  
"Yes, sweetie, we are all fine. No nightmares. Nothing."  
He smiled and I could see the relief in his eyes. "I'm glad. I know things were rough for you for a while after we got off the island. I'm glad you and Owen didn't leave again." He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I guess it's Uncle Owen now."  
"Back then we needed to spend some time away from the world. We coped in our own way, but I swear, Grey. This time was different. We were stronger."  
His eyes caught Maisie as she hurried towards the car. "I'm really glad things are working out so well for you guy. Especially with you being pregnant."  
"What?" I shrieked.  
He chuckled. "I'm really smart, Aunt Claire. I figure things out rather quickly. Baggy shirts, the quick belly touch Uncle Owen sneaks in every so often. And the envelope marked Baby Grady was a dead giveaway."  
"Hey!" Maisie sighed and flung herself into the back seat.  
I glanced quickly over my shoulder. "Hi, Honey," I said and turned back to look at Grey, my hand flew to the gear shift, stopping him from putting the car in drive. "How did you find the envelope?"  
"You asked me to get the extra pillow and sheets from the closet in your bathroom. The envelope was sitting on the counter."  
"Did you tell anyone?"  
He shook his head. "I figured if you didn't tell Mom then you were planning on telling all of us tomorrow."  
"You know?" Maisie asked, leaning forward to stick her head between the seats.  
Grey nodded. "I won't say anything though."  
"Did you look in the envelope?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"No way. I'll be surprised with everyone else."  
"Good, because we don't even know!" Maisie sat back and buckled her seatbelt.  
I removed my hand from the gear shift and sat back in my seat. "Thanks, Grey."  
He shrugged. "It's the least I can do for all you've done for us."  
I reached over and tasseled his hair and he smiled. The ride back to the cabin was filled with Grey asking Maisie about her day. She filled us in on the latest gossip as we pulled back into the driveway.  
I leaned forward to see if I could see where Owen was. "Ok, he's still in the back. Go ahead and pull into my spot by his truck." I informed Grey and he did as I instructed. I turned in my seat to look at Maisie. "I drove." I simply stated.  
She gave a hard nod. "Got it." Maisie already understood Owen's overprotectiveness and went along with most things I asked.  
The rest of the afternoon went quickly. The sun was setting on the scenery around the back yard and I couldn't help but smile. White chairs were in perfect rows, the aisle lined with flowers and lanterns which will be lit tomorrow. At the end of the aisle was the bridal arch wrapped in flowers. The lake on the property casting the perfect background image. Things couldn't have looked more amazing.  
"This is happening." Owen said softly. He stepped behind me and his arms slipped around my waist. His hands sliding up my shirt and resting on my bare stomach.  
I sighed and leaned my head back against his shoulder. "Seems like I've been waiting a lifetime."  
"You?" He chuckled. "I knew I wanted to tie you down the moment I laid eyes on you. You were just too damn stubborn to commit."  
I turned in his arms and reached up to lock my arms around his neck. "Well, you have me know."  
He leaned down to capture my lips and I melted into him.  
"Hey love birds!" I groaned when my sister's voice interrupted us. "Time for the guys to beat it!"  
I turned in Owen's arms to look at Karen. "What?" I gasped.  
"You heard me. It's bad luck to see each other before the wedding. Owen and the boys are banished. I have a hotel room set up in town."  
I shook my head. "No, Karen. This wedding is far from traditional. They don't—"  
Owen's lips at my neck cut me off. "It's ok, Babe. She already talked to me about it. Not like I can get into too much trouble with a sixteen and nineteen year old."  
"You don't have to." I haven't spent a night without him in months and I didn't want to do it tonight.  
"Yes he does!" Karen insisted.  
I flashed her a warning glare, but she ignored me. "It's just us girls tonight!"  
Owen hugged me and our lips met once more. "I'll see you at the alter. In less then twelve hours you'll be my wife." He smiled and kissed me again. "Wife." he whispered against my lips.  
"That's only if I say, I do." I smirked and pecked his lips once more.


	36. Chapter 36

_**Well, here it is! Clawen wedding and baby gender reveal! PLEASE review! I can't wait to read your reactions. Happy reading!**_

I blinked a few times and automatically stretched my arm across to Owen's side of the bed before remembering he wasn't there. Sighing heavily I rubbed my eyes.  
There was a light knock on the door and I sat up in bed. "I'm awake." I informed the person on the other side. The door opened slightly and Maisie poked her head in.  
"Can I come in?"  
"Of course." I stifled a yawn and stretched.  
She hurried over to the foot of the bed and climbed up. Crawling across the bed she sat on Owen's side and pressed her back against the headboard. "What's wrong?" I asked reading the look on her face.  
She glanced down at her hands and nibbles on her bottom lip. "I don't think I can do this."  
I tilted my head to the side. "Do what?"  
"Walk down the aisle."  
I couldn't hold back my laugh. "That should be my worry. Not yours."  
Maisie shrugged.  
I turned to fully face her and took her hands in mine. "What has you so worried?"  
"I don't want to trip and disappoint you. Aunt Karen has worked so hard to make things perfect. What if I mess up?"  
"Oh, Honey," I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The only way you can disappoint me is not being a part of today."  
She looked up and met my eyes. "Really?"  
"Yeah, really. Dad and I talked about getting married a few years ago, but it just wasn't the right time. Now I understand why." Maisie pursed her lips, confused. "You weren't a part of our lives yet. Having you here now makes everything perfect. Don't be afraid. You'll be great."  
She leaned over to hug me. "I'm glad I'm here, too."  
"No one's getting cold feet, are they?" Karen asked as she stepped into my room.  
"Just Maisie, but I think she's ready now." I giggled and poked her side.  
"And the bride?"  
I smiled up at my sister. "I'm good."  
The morning moved quickly. Everything was a blur. I did my own hair, curls hung loose with half my hair pinned up with sapphire clips.  
I was working on Maisie's when there was a knock on the door. "I got it!" Karen hurried passed Maisie and I in the living room to answer the door.  
"Who is it?" I asked her.  
"Photographer!" Karen cheered and flung the door open.  
"We didn't have one..."  
my sister spun and patted the man on the back. "You do now!"  
"I'm Bill. You must be the bride."  
"Claire." I informed him.  
He nodded and since I had both my hands tangled in Maisie's hair he didn't attempt to shake my hand. "Don't mind me. I'll just be in your face most of the day." He smiled and immediately began to set up His equipment.  
I flinched with every snap of the camera, finding it hard to concentrate on Maisie's hair.  
Glancing at the clock there was only one thing left to do. Karen and Maisie were dressed and ready. It was my turn.  
"Need help?" Karen asked and began to follow me to my room.  
I spun quickly, "No I'm fine."  
I stared at myself in the mirror and rubbed the bump. "No more hiding you." I sighed.  
"There she—" Karen's loud gasp echoed through the living room when I entered. "Where the heck did that come from?!" She shrieked and pointed at my stomach.  
I shrugged "Surprise?" I didn't mean for it to come out as a question.  
"I've been here for a week! A week, Claire! How did I see past that?"  
I brought my hands up, palms facing the ceiling "you were busy?"  
My sister shook her head slowly. "No, I should have noticed! I had two kids!" She clapped her hands against her temples. "You're pregnant, Claire!"  
"I am."  
"Oh my God!" Karen shrieked and threw her arms around me. "How far along are you?"  
"5 months."  
"Boy? Girl?" Her hands moved around my stomach.  
I shrugged. "We will find out today with everyone."  
"I'm a horrible big sister! This is something I should have noticed right away. Especially when you're this far along…" She trailed off as she counted back in her head. I bit my bottom lip.  
"So this was right after you came back from…" She cut off and smiled down at Maisie.  
I nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. Not planned of course, but it's happening. No we aren't getting married because I'm pregnant. He purposed way before." I tried to think of all the other questions she was going to throw at me and answer before she had the chance to even ask.  
She opened and closed her mouth a few times before hugging me tight. "This dress really shows off that little belly. You were made to look like this. You're absolutely glowing!"  
I swept my hand across my forehead. "I think it's just sweat. I didn't know how you would react." I let out an uneasy laugh.  
"This is great news! Oh I want to know if I have another niece or a nephew!"  
Maisie smiled at that. "They said I can read the result."  
Karen looked at Maisie and hugged her. "Us big sister's have to stick together. Trust me, it's the younger sibling who is the trouble maker."  
I rolled my eyes. "She's lying. I was the good one."  
Maisie giggled.  
We took a few pictures in the cabin. When we were finished, Maisie sat by the front window and peered out, playing our lookout for when Owen and the boys arrived.  
I paced the floor in front of the couch, fanning my face with my hands.  
"You ok?" Karen asked, sipping on her mimosa.  
I shook my head and sat on the couch. "I'm panicking and I don't know why."  
My sister gathered her dress and sat on the coffee table across from me. Her hands rubbing my arms soothingly. "Completely normal."  
I looked into her eyes, tears threatening to spill from mine. "I love Owen, but this… you and Scott didn't work out. Marriage is just… Karen, I'm not you! I can't be the doting wife and loving mother. Dinosaurs. I'm good with dinosaurs."  
"Hey," Karen gripped my arms and gave a hard shake, "look," she pointed to Maisie on the other side of the room, her face glued to the window. "she's already made you a mother. She put you and Owen in a married situation. What you and Owen have is… is real. I see the way he looks at you. It's the same look he's had for almost four years. I loved Scott, but we grew apart. I know you and Owen had your differences, but you found each other again. This is the real deal. Where's my overly confident sister?"  
I swiped the back of my hand across my cheek to catch the tear that fell. "She's here somewhere."  
"They're here!" Maisie cheered, jumping off the chair and hiding from view of Owen outside.  
"Well you better find her because you're getting married!" Tears slid down my sister's cheeks and I couldn't help but cry with her.  
I stood up and fixed my dress. "I'm ready."  
Karen smiled and winked. "There you are." She turned towards Maisie and clapped her hands. "Ok, Maisie. Can you run to the kitchen and make sure everyone is sitting down?"  
Maisie nodded and hurried out of the room. "They're all here!" She yelled from the kitchen.  
"Show time, ladies!" Karen ushered us out of the door and I could hear a soft violin playing in the distance.  
"What's that?" I asked.  
"Violinist. I hired her. She's the best in the area!" Karen turned to smile at me. "Owen chose the song."  
I knew immediately what was playing and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore as the soft music filled my ears.  
"What song is it?" Maisie asked, watching my reaction nervously.  
"A Thousand Years." I whispered, not able to find my voice.  
"Maisie, you go when I say so and walk slow." Karen instructed.  
Her eyes immediately glanced up at me and I leaned down to hug her, "You can't do anything wrong. Dad is down there. You'll be fine." I kissed her cheek and she took a deep breath and walked around the corner. I stepped close to the edge of the house to see Owen's reaction to her dress.  
His smile grew as soon as he saw her and It was easy to see the tears in his eyes. He was quick to swipe them off his cheek.  
"You are following me, right?" Karen giggled.  
I laughed through my sob. "Yes, Karen."  
She turned and walked around the house. Receiving another smile from Owen, but he wasn't looking at her. He was trying to see behind her. He was looking for me.  
Once she met Maisie at the front I took a few deep breaths and tried to control my tears.  
I stepped around the house and Owen stood taller, our eyes immediately locking. I tucked my bouquet close to me as I forced myself to walk slowly towards him.  
He reached for me when I was close enough and I placed my hand in his.  
"Damn I'm lucky." Owen whispered as we turned to the officiant. He leaned over quickly to whisper in my ear. "The blue dresses and accents in your hair? Perfect touch. Thank you."  
I looked up and smiled at him. "I thought so."  
The officiant spoke for a while, but I didn't hear a word he said. My eyes were locked on Owen and everything else disappeared.  
It was Owen who broke his gaze as he turned to take my ring from Zack.  
The officiant smiled at Owen before he spoke. "Do you, Owen, take Claire to be your wife, to cherish in friendship and love today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you live, to trust and honor her, to love her faithfully, through the best and the worst, whatever may come, and if you should ever doubt, to remember your love for each other and the reason why you came together with her this day?"  
Owen nodded and slid the wedding band on my finger. "I do," he smiled through his tears.  
The officiant looked at me and it was my turn to talk. He nodded at me and I took Owen's ring from Karen. "And Do you, Claire, take Owen to be your husband, to cherish in friendship and love today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you live, to trust and honor him, to love him faithfully, through the best and the worst, whatever may come, and if you should ever doubt, to remember your love for each other and the reason why you came together with him this day?"  
I choked on my sob, receiving a chuckle from Owen. "I do." I vowed and slid his ring into place, forever bonding us as husband and wife. I couldn't help but laugh when the tiny kicks sealed the moment. I let go of Owen's hand and touched the side of my stomach where the baby kicked. Hearing soft whispers and sniffles from our friends and family I leaned in to whisper to Owen, "Someone approves."  
He placed his hand over mine and we both turned as the officiant ended the ceremony.  
"By the powers invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Owen, you may kiss your bride!"  
The cheering from the small group of friends and family was off in the distance as soon as Owen took me into his arms. His lips met mine in a tender kiss that had me weak in the knees.  
Owen was first to break the kiss and smiled down at me. "I love you, Mrs. Grady."  
"I love you, too, Husband."  
He turned us to face our guests and Maisie ran from her spot to wrap her arms around us both.  
"Now we're a real family!"  
Owen and I both nodded and leaned down to kiss each of her cheeks. "Shall we?" Owen asked, holding his free arm out for Maisie to link hers with him. He escorted both of us back down the aisle. Where this time I could hear excited shrieks and whispers of "baby" being repeated through the crowd.  
We immediately moved on to celebrate. The first to claim us was Zia and Franklin. "How the hell did you hide this?" Zia smiled and pointed at my stomach.  
I laughed and shook my head. "It wasn't easy." They hugged us both and we continued to be hugged and congratulated on both the wedding and baby.  
Owen took my hand and we walked to the center of the makeshift dance floor, which was just the part of the yard where the DJ was set up.  
"What are you doing?" I asked once he pulled me close to him.  
"Dancing." He chuckled.  
This time the original song, A Thousand Years, played through the speakers and I met Owen's eyes. He was not much of a romantic, but after the fall of Jurassic World and we were settled into a life together, he would walk around and sing the song. It was never discussed, but this had become our song.  
Though we were both not very good dancers, we moved together, swaying to the music.  
Dancing turned into dinner and before the cake was to be handed out, Owen handed the envelope to Maisie and reached for the microphone from the DJ.  
"Good evening. My wife and I would like to thank you all for coming out to help us celebrate. As you all noticed we have something extra to be celebrating tonight." He reached out and placed his hand on my stomach. Everyone erupted in claps and cheers.  
Once they calmed down Owen continued. "Now we wanted to wait to announce the gender until we were all together. Our daughter will be informing all of us who this little one is."  
I squeezed Maisie's hand and she smiled before pulling her hand from mine and ripped open the envelope. She looked up and smiled at Owen.  
"What?" He yelled into the microphone. "Am I going to be outnumbered forever? Come on, Kid!"  
"It's a boy!" She yelled.  
I immediately burst into tears and Owen scooped me up into his arms, his lips crushed against mine. "Charlie." We both sighed at the same time.


	37. Chapter 37

"Hey, Mom!" Maisie and Gray hurried over to me. The reception was finally dying down and I found a moment to slip my shoes off and prop my feet up on a chair.  
"Hey, guys." I greeted them. They both fought to catch their breath.  
"Aunt Karen told me I was going home with her for a few days. Can I?"  
I slid my feet off the chair and leaned closer to her. "She what?"  
"Yeah," Gray agreed, "she said it's part of her wedding gift to you guys."  
"Erm…" I hesitated, not quite sure I was ok with letting Maisie be in a completely different state for any amount of time. "Can you go find Dad?" I asked, looking around the yard.  
"He's over by the drinks!" Maisie yelled and Gray followed her as she ran across the yard. Her small heels were shed as soon as the ceremony was over. I smiled as she hiked her dress up and ran barefoot across the yard.  
"What's going on?" Owen asked after Maisie dragged him over to me.  
I shrugged. "Apparently my sister wants to take Maisie to give us—"  
"A honeymoon!" Karen finished for me, coming up behind Owen.  
I shook my head and laid my hands on my stomach. "I think we've got the honeymoon fun down."  
"Wait," Owen's smile grew as he looked from Maisie to Karen and then back to me. "Let my favorite sister-in-law talk."  
"Really?" Karen snorted. "Almost four years I've known you and the moment I offer to take your kid for a few days, so you can… be with my sister. This puts me on your list of favorite people?"  
Owen looked at her and without blinking he nodded. "Yeah."  
I stood up and nibbled on my bottom lip. "I don't know about this." I sighed.  
"Why?" Karen and Maisie asked at the same time.  
Glancing at Owen he nodded slowly. "I get it, but there's no more threats. Blue is safe, Wyatt is gone and Wu… well, if he knows what's best for him, he'll stay the hell away. She'll be fine for a few days."  
"And school?" I asked.  
"It's one day she'll miss. Kid's got straight A's anyway." Owen stepped close to me, his arms slipping around my waist. "Come on, this will probably be the last time we will have a chance to be alone before Charlie comes along. Then we'll be surrounded by kids."  
My eyes stayed locked with his. He held no fear on letting Maisie go off without us. I sighed and nodded slowly. "Ok."  
"Yes!" Maisie and Owen cheered at the same time.  
"Come on, Mais, I'll help you pack." Karen led the way towards the house.  
Still in Owen's arms he leaned down to capture my lips with his. "Looks like I get my wife all to myself."  
I smiled and pecked his lips once more before turning to go see if Maisie and Karen needed help.  
I paused at Maisie's bedroom door and heard them laughing inside. "Can you tell me more about being a big sister? Seems like I've got a lot to learn. You and Mom sounded pretty funny when you were little."  
"I have stories to last you the rest of your life, Sweetie. Remind me to tell you about the time she showed up at my dorm room with an injured fox. Completely freaked out my roommate, but it's ok. She had it coming to her."  
"You hated your roommate." I giggled as I stepped into the room, capturing both of their attention.  
Karen chuckled and nodded. "She was horrible!"  
"Can I see pictures from when you two were little?" Maisie asked.  
Karen nodded at the same time I shook my head. "Oh yeah, we will definitely get into that. See as a big sister you must become the protector, but also the embarrassing story keeper. Like for instance, I have memories of a butt naked toddler screaming through the house because she escaped from her bath. As the big sister, no one holds those memories about me." She winked at Maisie who was doubled over laughing.  
"Oh, please!" I grumbled. "I was two!"  
"What's this I hear about Claire running naked?" Owen poked his head into the bedroom.  
"Two!" I yelled.  
Once the laughter died down, Maisie zippered up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "I'm ready!" She announced with a wide grin.  
Owen and I followed them to the front door and I took Maisie in my arms, holding her tight. "Call to say goodnight, ok?"  
She nodded against me. "I will."  
Owen claimed her after I unwillingly let her go. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "We'll come get you on Monday."  
She hugged his waist once more before hurrying out to find her cousins.  
"Thank you," I said when Karen hugged me.  
"She's my niece, so I'd like to get to know her a little more. Plus it's not like you guys could get into any trouble." She chuckled and brought her hands to my stomach.  
I rolled my eyes, but let her say goodbye to my belly before turning to hug Owen. "She's yours to deal with now. No returns."  
"Na," Owen reached for me and pulled me into his side. "she's not going anywhere."  
Once the house was empty of all our friends and family, the back yard looked normal again, Owen met me in our room as I struggled to get out of my dress.  
He stepped up behind me and pulled the zipper down. "I think I should be doing this part."  
I turned in his arms as the dress dropped to my feet. "It's not like we haven't seen each other naked."  
"Come on," he pulled me into his arms and kissed my bare shoulder. "humor me."  
His suite jacket was already off, so I worked on the buttons of his shirt. We were quick to shed each others clothes. It was nice not to worry about being quiet or making sure the door was locked.  
We laid in bed, catching our breath. Owen swept his hand down my cheek and leaned in to kiss me. "How about a bath?" He asked and before I could answer he was up and walking into our bathroom.  
I laid in bed while I listened to him move around the bathroom. "Coming? Mrs. Grady?" I heard him get into the tub and I got up to join him. Laying my back against his chest, he brought his hands up to massage my shoulders. My head fell back to rest against his shoulder.  
"This is nice," I sighed.  
His lips moved along the back of my neck and I turned in his arms to kiss him.  
"We going to try and break our record?" Owen asked as he stepped out of the tub. "Round two down." He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me.  
I shrugged. "I do know it's time for a snack."  
Knowing we were home alone, Owen slipped on boxers and I just grabbed my robe. I sat on the counter as I watched Owen move around the kitchen. He put the popcorn bag in the microwave and I caught him with my legs as he walked by me for a bowl.  
"Really?" He laughed when I locked my legs around him.  
"Really," I smiled and leaned in to kiss his neck.  
Without another word, his hands went to the ties on my robe and tugged hard.  
"And there's round three." Owen panted against my neck.  
"Popcorn, please." I pushed his shoulders back so I could hop off the counter.  
"Go sit on the couch and I'll bring it in."  
I smiled over my shoulder at him. "Planning on making your way around the house?"  
He popped a handful of popcorn in his mouth and bobbed his eyebrows. "Maybe."  
I hurried into the living room and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch before removing my robe. Covering myself with the blanket I sat in the couch and kicked my feet up on the coffee table. I flipped through the channels on the TV until I found a decent movie.  
"What's this?" Owen asked, sitting beside me. "Movie time?"  
I nodded and reached for the bowl of popcorn. He grabbed the blanket to move close to my side and glancing quickly at me his eyes grew wide. "Naked movie time!" He grinned and wiggled his boxers off.  
Moving quickly over me, I let the bowl go and giggled as he pressed my shoulders down until I was laying under him. "Owen!" I shrieked when the bowl that was on my lap clattered to the floor.  
"I'll make more." He growled and crushed his lips against mine. The blanket and popcorn forgotten on the floor.  
Once we caught our breath I leaned in and kissed his chest. "You owe me a bowl of popcorn." I reminded him.  
He chuckled into my hair. "Ok, I'll get it, but naked movie watching is still happening!"  
I watched him walk into the kitchen and sat up once he disappeared to retrieve the blanket from the floor. I had the popcorn on the floor cleaned up before he came back in.  
"I can get used to this," I smiled and took the bowl from him.  
"Used to what?" He asked, sitting beside me once again.  
"You bringing me food naked." I leaned into his side and got comfortable as we finished watching the movie.  
"Hey, Babe, want to go up to bed?" Owen shook my shoulder lightly.  
I blinked a few times and yawned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." I shook my head. "I don't want to go to bed yet." Careful to move the popcorn bowl out of the way I shifted to straddle his lap.  
He grabbed my hips and kissed along my collarbone. "Don't have to ask me twice." He mumbled against my skin.  
Owen swept the sweat from my forehead as I laid my head on his shoulder, fighting to keep my eyes open.  
"Now It's time for bed." I yawned.


	38. Chapter 38

_**Hey everyone! This chapter jumps ahead a few months. This story is almost over, BUT I am working on a sorta sequel... It's going to be a bunch of domestic one shots. So let me know anything you want to see with this little family of 4 in the future.**_

"Hey, Owen?" I mumbled still half asleep.  
He moaned and turned away from me.  
"Owen!" I wined and shoved his shoulder.  
"What?" He yawned and sat up.  
"I'm hungry." I whispered.  
"Ok?" He raised an eyebrow, trying to hide his smile.  
"I want pancakes."  
He nodded and turned his head to look at the alarm clock on his nightstand. "Ok, in a few hours. I'll make them for breakfast."  
I shook my head. "I want them now."  
"Of course you do." He sighed heavily. Before getting out of bed he leaned over and kissed my now seven month pregnant belly. "Pancakes for the little man, coming up."  
"And broccoli!" I called out as he reached for the bedroom door. He shuddered before turning back to look at me.  
"Seriously?"  
I bit my bottom lip and nodded.  
He stepped out the door and I licked my lips. "Don't forget the ketchup!" I added.  
He poked his head back in the doorway and his face scrunched up in disgust. "Ketchup on your pancakes?"  
I scrunched my nose and shook my head. "No, that's gross! Syrup on the pancakes."  
He scratched his head, confused. "So the ketchup is to… what? Drink?"  
"The broccoli!"  
"Will your taste buds go back to normal in two months?"  
"Who cares. That's in two months. I'm hungry now." I got out of bed and followed him out of the bedroom.  
"I can bring it to you, you know." He said as he followed me into the kitchen.  
"I don't trust that you'll get it the way I want it."  
I peeked inside Maisie's room and when I could hear her snoring lightly, I shut her door so we wouldn't wake her up.  
By the time I made it into the kitchen, Owen was already working on the pancakes. I walked over to the freezer and took the bag of frozen broccoli out. My eyes immediately fell on the ice cream sandwiches and I quickly reached for one.  
"Seriously?" Owen asked when I sat at one of the stools at the counter.  
I nodded and took a bite. "Appetizer."  
He rolled his eyes, but continued to prepare my snack. "Did you at least get me one?"  
I smirked and slid the one I grabbed for him across the counter. He leaned over the counter to kiss me, but turned his head at the last second to steal a bite of my ice cream sandwich. "Hey!" I called out, pulling it away from his mouth. "I got you one!"  
He laughed as he chewed and licked his lips. "Yours tastes better."  
I snatched his ice cream back and placed it on my lap. "Now I get them both."  
"I'm going to let you win because you're hungry and hormonal."  
My mouth fell open, eyes gaping at him. Did he really just call me hormonal? He took advantage of my stunned stance and grabbed the ice cream from my hand, taking a large bite.  
"Screw you!" I waved his in the air. "This is all mine!" Jumping away from his outstretched hand, I made my way into the living room so I could eat in peace.  
I curled up on the couch and pulled the blanket the was folded across the back of the couch down to cover myself. Switching the TV on, I found a documentary on Animal Planet and munched on the ice cream as I watched it.  
"Seriously?" Owen shoved my shoulder and my eyes shot open.  
"What?" I snapped and yawned.  
"I just made you what you wanted and you're in here sleeping."  
I shook my head. "I'm not sleeping."  
"Oh," Owen nodded once. "I see. My mistake. I saw your eyes closed and assumed that meant sleep. Apparently it was just a long blink."  
"Or just resting my eyes. You take too long."  
Owen chuckled. "Resting your eyes. Good excuse. What do you have to say about the snoring?"  
I jumped to my feet and pointing my finger at him, jabbing it hard against his chest. "I don't snore!"  
"Hey, don't attack the man who has your disgusting pancakes with broccoli and ketchup." He motioned towards the coffee table in front of me where my plate of food sat.  
My mouth watered at the site of what I was craving. I snatched the plate up and immediately started eating.  
Once I was full and the baby was rolling around, I found it hard to fall back asleep. Back in bed, Owen was passed out and I found myself trying desperately to calm Charlie to sleep.  
My hands rubbed the spot on my belly where he kept kicking. "Please, just go to sleep." I begged.  
There was a hard kick against my hand and I groaned. Turning my head to look at Owen's peaceful figure, I reached out and tapped his shoulder. "Owen," I hissed. "You asleep?"  
"Mmm," was his mumbled response.  
"Hey!" I said a little louder, shoving his shoulder.  
"No more snack. Go to sleep." He groaned and turned on his side, his back towards me.  
Charlie flipped around and I smirked to myself as I turned on my side, my front facing Owen and curled into his back. Making sure my belly was pressed tightly against him, I smiled when Charlie became very active and shoved against Owen's back.  
"Ok," Owen sighed and turned to face me. "I'm up." His eyes weren't open, but he dropped his hand to my belly and rubbed slow circles. "Come on, Bud, you sleep and you're mother lets me sleep."  
Charlie kicked again and I couldn't help but laugh. Owen peeked at me with one eye half open. "I tried."  
I shook my head. "Not good enough."  
Charlie's movements became steady bumps and Owen picked his head up off the pillow to look down at my belly. "Now what?"  
I giggled. "Hiccups."  
"Now that's all your fault. You just gave him ice cream, pancakes and broccoli. I'm surprised you don't have the hiccups."  
It was another ten minutes before the movements in my belly subsided and I was finally able to close my eyes.  
When I woke up, I was alone in bed and sat up as quickly as I could when I heard Maisie and Owen in the kitchen. Glancing at the clock I jumped out of bed. "I'm late!" I groaned and moved to get in the shower.  
"Why wasn't my alarm set?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen, eyes narrowed at Owen. I immediately went to work on making Maisie's lunch for school.  
"I turned it off."  
I furrowed my eyebrows, "You have a death wish?"  
"You needed to sleep." Owen tried to reason with me, but I was too aggravated.  
"Now I'm going to be late for work!"  
He scratched the back of his head and looked at Maisie. She appeared at his side to grab her lunchbox from me. Leaning over he whispered in her ear loud enough for me to hear. "Isn't she the boss?"  
Maisie giggled and nodded.  
There was a knock on the door and Maisie hurried away from us. "Don't leave me alone in here!" Owen yelled after her.  
I folded my arms against my chest.  
"I'm leaving!" Maisie called out from the living room.  
Owen hurried away from me to meet up with Maisie. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Grady." Annie waved as we walked into the room.  
"Good morning, Annie." I smiled. I kissed the top of Maisie's head and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Have a good day."  
"I will!" Maisie waved and shut the door behind her. Since it's been months since any threats and the weather was getting warmer, Maisie and Annie requested they walked to and from school again.  
"Breakfast?" Owen asked innocently when I turned to look at him.  
I shook my head. "No time."  
"What's the rush? No dinosaurs to chase, no assholes running around— well except Wu, but he's being good."  
"As far as we know he is, but I want to be the first to know what he's doing."  
"Ok," he sighed. "I get it."  
"Need me in the office today?"  
"Actually, yeah. Could you check up on the tracking system with Franklin and make sure everyone is accounted for?" I asked and Owen nodded.  
Since all of the dinosaurs still had their tracking devices, Franklin was able to use the tracking system to keep an eye on their activity.  
"I'll drive." Owen grabbed the keys to his truck and we got ready for another day of work.


	39. Chapter 39

_**This is it! Final Chapter! I will be posting a prologue though. That will be posted after Christmas. So I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday! Thank you so much to those who have reviewed. I can't express enough how much each review means to me. As I mentioned before I am working on a sequel to this story, but it's just going to be a bunch of one shots with our little family of 4. I've started writing the first one shot, but feel free to send any prompts you want to see. You can also follow me on twitter where I post some sneak peeks and stuff. Username is the same as on here.**_

"Hey, Claire," Zia knocked on my open door.  
I looked up from my computer screen and smiled at her. "What's up?"  
"I finished the poster for the rally next week." She informed me as she walked over to my desk.  
I took the paper from her and nodded as I scanned the poster. "Looks good. I'll make copies to hang around town." I stood up and sucked in a sharp breath, my hand immediately moving to the spot on my back that was causing me pain.  
"You ok?" Zia was around my desk, her hands hovering over mine.  
"I'm fine, just stood up too fast." Finally at the nine month mark, I was more than ready to get rid of the fairly large belly. Now it just got in the way. Plus constantly being uncomfortable was no longer fun. Waking up this morning was worst than any other morning. Sharp pain shot across my lower back every so often and it was starting to get to the point of not being able to hide the pain.  
"You need Owen?" She asked as I grabbed the poster and made it to the copy machine.  
I shook my head not quite trusting my voice. There was an interview scheduled in a few hours where I would be giving information on the upcoming rally. Another sharp pain, this time in my stomach had me questioning whether I'd be able to last that long.  
"Claire!" Zia hissed, her hands wrapped around my arms as I leaned over the copy machine in pain.  
"Don't say it!" I said through clenched teeth. There was no way I could be in labor.  
"How long has this been happening?"  
"Since this morning. About four hours." I panted through the pain.  
"How far apart?" She looked down at her watch and nodded, "about fifteen minutes," answering her own question she looked at me for confirmation.  
"Yeah, sounds right."  
"I need to get Owen." She turned to leave the room, but I gripped her arm tightly.  
"No, please. I'll be fine. I just need to get through the interview."  
Zia rolled her eyes, but nodded at me.  
I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."  
"The contractions become ten minutes apart and I'm telling Owen."  
Just as his name was spoken he walked by the copy room. "What?" He asked, popping his head in.  
"Nothing!" I said quickly. I knew we'd be on the way to the hospital right now if he knew I was in labor, but all the books I've read plus my sister's labor stories kept me calm. This was going to be a while.  
He looked over my shoulder at Zia. "Nothing." she groaned.  
By the time the interview started I was pacing my office uncomfortably. Owen was on the couch, I could feel his eyes on me as I crossed back and forth across my office. Zia sat on the arm of the couch nibbling her nails as she watched me.  
I answered the questions through clenched teeth. Pausing for the second time with my hand on my stomach, Owen was on his feet. "What is wrong?" He hissed in my ear.  
"Nothing."  
"Don't give me that crap. What is wrong?" He asked again.  
"He's just kicking hard."  
He wasn't buying that either.  
Turning back to the reporter I opened my mouth to answer his question, but a loud scream of pain came out instead. With Owen still at my side I turned and placed my hands on his shoulder, leaning into him as I cried out.  
"Jesus, Claire, you're in labor!" His hands gripped my elbows to help me stand.  
"Ya think!" I snapped.  
Zia was on her feet and already ushering the reporter out of the room.  
"Why didn't you say anything! How far apart are the contractions? We can make it to the hospital in five minutes." He stopped talking when I shook his shoulders hard.  
"Can you just shut up for a minute!" I panted, and dug my nails into his shoulders.  
He stayed quiet until I was able to stand straight again. "Let's go."  
"I'll get Maisie and meet you at the hospital." Zia called after us.  
I looked up at her as Owen escorted me to the elevator. "Thank you," I gasped and yelled out again.  
"Three minutes," Owen's voice shook.  
"You got this, Mama." Zia patted my back as Owen ushered me into the elevator.  
"You ok?" Owen asked as he laid his hand on his horn to go through the red light.  
"Stop asking me that! Do I look ok?"  
He opened his mouth to answer, but snapped it shut and concentrated on the road.  
"Good answer." I grumbled.  
We made it into labor and delivery and I was quickly stripped down. The gown was thrown on me and I placed my palms on the bed, crying out from the pain. "Make it stop!" I begged Owen who was standing behind me, his hands doing wonders on my back.  
"They said it's too late for an epidural. You've got this."  
"Easy for you to say!"  
He helped me into bed and the doctor was there nodding to the nurse. He looked up at me and smiled. "Ready to push?"  
I shook my head, my eyes immediately finding Owen beside me. "I can't do this."  
His eyes widened quickly before he composed himself. I knew that was something I've never said before, but right now I was terrified.  
"Yes you can. You're the strongest, bravest woman I know. It's what makes me love you so much. There's no greater obstacle you can overcome than bringing our son into this world. You can do this, Claire. I'm right here." His hand gripped mine tightly and I nodded. The pride gleaming in his eyes was enough to make me realize I didn't need to be afraid. That whatever happens next we would handle it together.  
"Ok, Mom, chin to your chest and give a big push." The doctor broke my concentration and I took a deep breath before Owen helped me lean forward.  
Collapsing back against my pillow I cried. The pain was too much. My body shook uncontrollably. Owen swept a wet cloth across my sweaty forehead.  
"Ready?" He asked and helped me up again. "That's it, Babe, keep going." He kept coaxing me. I cried out through another push and Owen's lips were at my ear. "One more and he's in your arms. Give it all you got."  
I nodded, unable to control my sobs, I pushed as hard as I could. Relief washed through me when the cries filled the room. There was weight on my chest and I opened my eyes to see my son there. His face scrunched up as he cried.  
Owen's hand moved to Charlie's back and I wrapped my arms around his tiny body. "Hey, Charlie." I cried.  
He quieted down and I glanced up at Owen's tear-streaked face. "We did it." I whispered.  
Owen shook his head and leaned down to kiss me. "You did it."  
The nurse took Charlie off my chest and as soon as he was cleaned and swaddled in a warm blanket, she handed Charlie to Owen. I couldn't take my eyes off the way he melted around his son. He rocked on his feet as he spoke softly to the bundle in his arms.  
He handed Charlie over to me and kissed my temple. I smiled down at the sleeping baby. "All the work I had to do and he looks like you." I chuckled.  
Owen shook his head. "I see you."  
There was a knock on the door and Owen moved to open it. "Is she ok?" I heard Maisie's voice from behind the curtain.  
"I'm ok, Sweetie!" I said quickly and she hurried around the curtain and I did my best to scoot over on the bed. She crawled up beside me, resting her head against my shoulder as she looked down at Charlie.  
"He's so tiny!"  
Owen snorted, "Kids got a set of lungs on him. Got that from mom."  
Maisie ignored Owen and looked up at me. "Did it hurt?"  
I nibbled on my bottom lip and decided not to lie. "Yeah, but it was worth it." I shifted and held Charlie out towards her. "Want to hold him?"  
She smiled and nodded slowly. Owen helped her situate her arms before I placed Charlie in them. "Hi," Maisie whispered. "I'm your big sister. You're going to like it here. We've got the best parents."  
I smiled through my tears and glanced up at Owen beaming down at our kids. Knowing Charlie wasn't planned, I now couldn't imagine my life without him. This tiny human was a symbol of the amount of love I shared with Owen. We are a family and I couldn't be more happy.  
As if reading my thoughts, Owen leaned over and kissed me softly. "I love you."  
I smiled against his lips. "I love you."

 **The End**


	40. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The first month was exactly what everyone said it would be. Way too many sleepless nights. Plenty of tears all around and a ton of diapers.  
With neither of us rushing to get back to work, Owen and I surrounded all of our time around Charlie and Maisie. Becoming a family of four was not the easiest of transitions, but we were finally starting to feel like things were under control.  
"Whoa," Owen gasped when I walked into the kitchen. "Where the hell did they come from?" He was pointing at my chest and I looked down and groaned.  
"They hurt." I reached up and slowly adjusted my bra.  
"They're awesome!" He stepped towards me, his eyes on my breasts.  
I shook my head and jumped out of his reach. "Stay away from me."  
Charlie cried from his swing and I slipped out of Owen's reach once more. "Those were mine first, kid!" Owen called out as I picked Charlie up to feed him.  
Once he was fed I smiled down at the baby staring up at me in my arms. Though his face was an exact replica of Owen, his eyes mirrored mine. Dark hair covered his head and Owen swears his smile matches mine perfectly.  
Charlie yawned and hiccuped before letting his eyelids droop. "Put him into another milk coma?" Owen asked as he leaned over the back of the couch to look at the now sleeping baby in my arms.  
"I guess I know I'm good at that." I laughed and let Owen take him from me.  
"You kidding me? You're good at it all." He leaned down to kiss me.  
I stretched, yawned and got up to start on the pile of baby clothes that needed to be washed.  
Owen stepped in front of me and shook his head. "You're dead on your feet. Go lay down. He'll be asleep for a while."  
I shook my head. "Am not! And I have stuff to do. I haven't even checked my emails in three days."  
He hurried to put Charlie back in his swing and followed me into the laundry room. "Maisie told me you put orange juice in your coffee this morning. You know where you put her homework last night after you checked it over? She found it in the freezer. I think that classifies you as exhausted. Go lay down."  
"Thanks Maisie!" I called over my shoulder knowing she was in her room doing homework.  
"Go lay down!" She yelled back.  
I yawed again and watched Owen load the washing machine. Nodding I slowly started walking away before turning to call over my shoulder, "Don't forget to use the baby detergent."  
"I got it, Claire." He mumbled.  
I slumped down on the couch and grabbed the remote, too tired to actually turn the TV on, I closed my eyes.  
It seemed like moments later Charlie's crying woke me up. I forced my eyes open and found Maisie desperately trying to rock him.  
"It's ok, Mais." I yawned and held my arms out. "I'll take him."  
"Can I try and calm him down?" Maisie added a bounce to her swaying as Charlie continued to fuss in her arms.  
I let my arms drop back to my lap and nodded. "He may have to burp." I informed her.  
She immediately brought him up against her chest and patted his back. He let out a loud yell before burping and immediately quieting down. She looked at me with a wide grin. "I did it! He stopped crying!"  
I curled up on the couch and closed my eyes again. "Where's dad?"  
"He ran to the store. He put me in charge of Charlie. Can I take him to my room?"  
I glanced at the clock and knew he had another hour before it was time for him to eat again. I nodded and closed my eyes again. "Let me know if you need me."  
"Come on, Charlie. Let's listen to some music." She talked to him as they disappeared into her room.  
The next time I opened my eyes it was from the smell of dinner cooking. I glanced at the clock and jumped off the couch. Hurrying into the kitchen I found Owen singing to himself as he cooked. "Where's Charlie? He should have eaten an hour ago!"  
Without turning to face me, he pointed towards the living room. "With Maisie. She fed him." He shifted towards the sink and held up the empty bottle. "Don't worry I used the breast milk in the fridge with the green label."  
I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thank you." I sighed and kissed his shoulder.  
I heard Maisie humming to Charlie and decided to go check on them. "How's it going in here?" I asked as I stepped into her room.  
"I fed him all on my own! And he burped twice!" She squeaked. Charlie's loud screech had us both laughing.  
"You're a good big sister. I'd be lost without you."  
"I didn't realize it would be this much fun. I like helping."  
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "You only say that because you get to sleep through the night."  
Maisie shrugged and laid Charlie on her bed and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "Need me to check your homework?" I asked and crawled onto the bed. Laying on my side, I reached out and scooted Charlie against me.  
She nodded and handed me her notebook. "Don't walk away with it this time. I had to explain to Mr. Trank why my paper was freezer burnt."  
I glared at her and she laughed. "You try and function when you only have two hours of sleep at a time."  
"I get it, but just check it here." She motioned to where I was laying on her bed and I laughed.  
"Ok, I won't move."  
After dinner I did the dishes while Maisie cleared the table. Owen was in charge of Charlie and disappeared into the nursery with him to get him ready for bed. Finishing up with the dishes quickly I snuck down the hall as I listened to Owen talking softly to him.  
The closer I got I realized he wasn't talking, he was singing. With his attention solely on our son, I leaned against the doorframe to watch him.  
Owen sat on the rocking chair with Charlie bundled up in his arms. His eyes were locked on Owen's as he rocked them gently and sang softly.  
A year ago I would have never imagined him having this much of a soft side. He truly was meant to be a father. This new side of him had me falling in love with him all over again. When Maisie came into our lives it woken up a instinct in both of us, but she came to us independent. Charlie is a whole new world of parenting. Knowing everything we've been through in the four years we've been together, we both never expected to be here.  
"What are you thinking about?" Owen's voice pulled me from my thoughts.  
I shrugged away from the doorframe and walked across the nursery towards my husband and my son. "I'm thinking that I have the two cutest men in the world sitting in front of me."  
"Oh," Owen snorted and got to his feet. "I could have told you that." He smiled and leaned in to kiss me.  
I watched silently as he laid our son down in his crib and raised an eyebrow when he turned back to face me. "He's sleeping in here tonight?"  
Owen nodded and took my hand to lead me out of the room. He paused just outside the door and pressed my back against the wall. "You're at the six week mark, right? I want you all to myself tonight."  
I smiled against his lips and sighed. "Sounds nice."  
He glanced down at his watch. "We've got an hour to kill before our oldest goes to bed."  
I watched his eyes light up and he called over his shoulder. "Maisie, get the Uno cards ready. Rematch in five! This time one of us needs to kick mom's butt."  
I heard Maisie run from the living room to her bedroom to get her cards. "Let's do it!"  
I couldn't help but smile as Owen led me into the living room.  
Working at Jurassic World and even starting up the DPG I would have never thought sitting at the kitchen table playing a card game was my kind of paradise. Turns out climbing up the corporate ladder was not my destiny. Raising a family with the man that melts my heart every time he looks as me is exactly where I belong.

 **A final thank you for those that have read this story! I love reading reviews and each one means so much to me! Look for the second part coming soon! It will be called Family Ties and will consist of one shots revolving around this little family of 4. I have some prompts coming in from you guys already! Keep them coming!**


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